Training from Father's Greatest Enemy
by Merky15
Summary: Inuyasha needs to become more powerful and his battle at Mt. Hakurai proved it. His only chance of achieving his goal comes from the demon Ukimara, a notorious rival of Inuyasha's father. But are things always what they seem? PLEASE R&R. CMPL SEQUEL IS UP
1. The Search for Ukimara

So like everyone says: I don't own any of the Inuyasha characters. I do on the other hand own all of my own characters, and the idea's this story has that don't pertain to Takahashi's tale. Okay, that was long and boring...here's the story. I hope you like it :)

**The Search for Ukimara**

"Inuyasha, stop grumbling and moaning outside, and come in by the fire" Kagome looked at him, obviously to stubborn to leave without coming for what she came for. "Heh," he started "Why do you care where I am?"

"Look, I know you're mad because Naraku escaped again, but instead of whining about it why not rest and regain your strength?" she sat next to him in an attempt to cheer him up, while recalling their last encounter with Naraku…

The group stared down Naraku from the inside of Mt. Hakurai. He had just finished another one of his transformations making him stronger. Inuyasha had unleashed his Red Tetsaiga's wind scar, which was surprisingly repelled by Naraku's barrier and shot back at them. Naraku had escaped with a smile on his face, laughing, "Remember Inuyasha, while you stay weak I get more powerful with each transformation"…

Kagome knew that he was outside thinking of a way to finally defeat Naraku, but he was only managing to strain himself out even more. Inuyasha stopped examining his Tetsaiga and looked at Kagome, "Look, Naraku keeps getting stronger and we don't know how to beat him. I have to figure out a way to get stronger with the Tetsaiga, and that isn't going to happen if I …" at this time he started to mimic Kagome's voice, "Rest and regain my strength" he crossed his hands for a moment and continued to examine his weapon. "Well excuse me for worrying about you. Maybe next time I wont" Kagome stood up in an attempt to storm off.

"Good" he yelled back "Cuz no one asked you too"

Finally, haven taken enough, Kagome let out a small command of "sit" to win the argument, leaving Inuyasha in pain on the ground.

The next morning was bright and sunny, but it slowly turned cloudy. No one felt like talking and the only excitement of the day was the usual welt on Miroku's face from Sango. When it had started to rain everyone decided to make camp in a small abandoned rest house.

"Inuyasha you've been thinking for a while did you come up with any way to destroy Naraku's barrier?" Miroku asked in an attempt to break the silence.

"No…" Inuyasha sighed "I don't know if Tetsaiga can get any more powerful"

"Neither can you Inuyasha, being only a half-demon… Owww" a large welt landed on Shippo's head. The small fox yelled at the culprit, Inuyasha, in response "Hey"

"What about Totosai?" Kagome asked. Not following, Inuyasha gave Kagome a blank look, "What about him?"

Sango smiled understanding "Great idea Kagome"

"What are you talking about?" Inuyasha asked.

Miroku sighed "I believe that Lady Kagome means for you to go get some advice about the Tetsaiga from Totosai"

"That old man can't train anyone right, Remember? I went last time"

Kagome smiled "Yeah, but maybe you're ready to learn a new technique. He always waits for the last moment to tell you about them"

"Yeah, well I guess it can't hurt"

When the rain settled they went back to lady Kaede's village, and Inuyasha took Kirara with him on his trip towards Totosai's. Kagome watched as Inuyasha left, a concerned look fell on her face. She waved him off thinking to herself, "_Good luck Inuyasha_"

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"Hey old man!" Inuyasha yelled waiting for a reply, but found that the old cave was empty. Inuyasha took a step inside yelling louder, "Hey Totosai!!! Where the hell are you?!!"

"Will you pipe down?"

Inuyasha looked around and noticed that Totosai came into view from a different room of the cave. The old man tilted his head as he scratched the inside of his ear. Inuyasha crossed his arms at the old man, "Well if it isn't Totosai. Listen I need some help"

"Is that so?"

After a few minutes, Inuyasha fully explained the current predicament he was in after the Mt. Hakurai incident. "So, I need to figure out a way to get Tetsaiga even more powerful by the next time I meet Naraku" he took a deep breath and looked at the old man "So, can you help me out or not?"

Inuyasha looked at Totosai, who was facing the outside view. He looked as if he was in deep thought, but by closer inspection Inuyasha noticed that he was in fact sleeping. A thump landed on the old man's head. "WAKE UP" the half-breed growled as he rose. "What was that for?" Totosai whined as if he was truly confused. "I'm here to figure out an answer to my problem, not to watch you sleep! So do you have a solution or not?!"

Totosai responded by crossing his arm's with a pout "Well, it just so happens that I do"

"Well? What is it?" Inuyasha spoke through gritted teeth.

"Well, I don't think I should tell someone who doesn't have any respect for me" he turned his back to the half demon at this point, a bad mistake. Inuyasha responded by landing a few more hits to Totosai's head. Totosai was now on the floor looking up at Inuyasha "…well I suppose I could make an exception"

Inuyasha grunted, "That's what I thought"

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"Ukimara?" Inuyasha asked Totosai, still not grasping what it was he meant. Totosai nodded "Yes, Ukimara is a very powerful demon, and knew your father longer than I had. If you truly want to get Tetsaiga more powerful, then you yourself must get more powerful by seeking out Ukimara"

"So how strong is this Ukimara anyways?"

Totosai scratched his head in recognition, "Well arguably about as strong as your father, but that is debatable"

Inuyasha looked at Totosai in thought, "That strong huh?" he didn't wait for a reply "So, can this demon train me?"

Totosai looked up slightly unsure, "Well that's the thing. You see Ukimara and your father were bitter enemies, rivals even"

Inuyasha's fists tightened in agrivation, "Then why the hell would Ukimara train me!!!"

"Well it's not as if it's impossible"

"Why not?"

Totosai smirked, "Ukimara trained your brother after your father's death"

A determined looked fell on Inuyasha's face at the mention of this. If his brother was able to receive Ukimara's training then so too could he. Totosai continued to speak, "…But your brother was already powerful by that time. Ukimara might not even bother with you"

Inuyasha rose angrily, "Listen! I'm just as good as that bastard. Now, tell me where I can find this Ukimara!"

"Well, if you're sure…Ukimara's domain is in the Northern lands at the domain of the Northern Dog Demon Clan"

Inuyasha turned to leave. Totosai called after him "Be careful Inuyasha. The Northern Dog Demon Clan was enemies with your father. They might still hold a grudge against you. I recommend that you stay focused and search out Ukimara"

Inuyasha shooed him off with a wave as he walked outside, "yeah, yeah"

Totosai watched as Inuyasha flew off in the distance with Kirara, "Remember, don't start any fights" he sighed to himself "…that fool is going to start a fight, and embarrass himself…Oh well, not my problem I suppose" he walked back towards his cave.

Inuyasha looked ahead as he flew towards the north. He was determined to find out the demon Ukimara. It was starting to look like this demon would be his bast chance of deafeating his rival.

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**So there you go, my first chapter. Please, I know that everyone always says this, but could you please send me a review. It's my first chapter and I want to know what you guys think. So even if it's a simple "good job" or "Needs work" let me know (Hopefully it's not the second one). Thanks**

**Much Love,**

**Merky15**


	2. At The Gates

If you're reading this than you're awesome. Thank you so much, I love you, and please don't forget to review. SO, here ya go…

**At the Gates**

After a long flight Inuyasha and Kirara arrived at a forest up north. It was dark now and Inuyasha still wasn't exactly sure were the dog demon domain was. He mentally cursed himself for not asking for better directions. He had figured he could just use his nose to find the clan, but it didn't help since the smell of dog now filled the air. Inuyasha looked at the small feline by his side, who let out a large yawn. "Maybe we should rest for the night?" he smiled. The cat seemed to like this idea and a faint growl escaped her lips. She transformed into a smaller size and curled up against a tree, followed by the half demon. He looked up at the sky, not ready to go to sleep, but too tired to stay awake. He slowly closed his eyes and darkness followed.

He wasn't sure how it happened, but it felt like as soon as his eyes closed they opened. When they did open, they opened to a small child staring at him a few inches away from his face. Inuyasha quickly jumped up with a startled yell.

Kirara was awake now, and her fur was on end from Inuyasha's yelling. Inuyasha looked down to see who had caused this dilemma, and saw a child with a large grin on his face. "What the hell do you think you're doing kid?!" he asked angrily, his heart still pounding.

The child appeared to be about eight or nine. He had shaggy brown hair that covered both of his eyes, and freckles that surrounded his nose. He wore a green kimono with a brown fur vest on top. He came up to Inuyasha's thigh, and started to chuckle, "Sorry, but you should have seen the look on your face" he spoke with a small raspy voice. "Listen kid…" Inuyasha moved to grab the kids collar, but looked around when he noticed that the kid had disappeared.

"You're pretty slow, ya know" the kid laughed.

Inuyasha looked up to see the child standing on the above tree branch, "What the hell do you want anyway, brat?"

The kid disappeared again. Inuyasha looked around. He stopped when he noticed that his back had gained weight. The child was on the half demon's shoulders examining Inuyasha's ears, "Wow, never seen ears like this on a half dog…actually I've never seen a half dog…go figure"

"That's enough!!!" Inuyasha growled as he successfully grabbed the kid by the back of the neck, and threw him roughly to the floor. The kid landed roughly on his butt and looked up. Inuyasha continued, "Who the hell are you?"

The small demon stood up straight in a military position before continuing, "I am Neru, of the Northern Dog Demon Clan"

It was at this time that Inuyasha noticed that the kid had a bushy brown dog tail, and claws. "Wait, you're from the dog clan?"

Neru nodded, "Yeah…didn't you know by my smell? You are Lord Sesshomaru's brother right? I mean the two of you look alike"

"I LOOK NOTHING LIKE THAT BASTARD!"

Neru giggled at the serious expression on Inuyasha's face, and turned to leave. "Hey…" Inuyasha called "Can you take me to the Dog Clan?"

"I'm not sure" Neru looked up in thought, "I might get in trouble for taking in an outsider"

"Look" Inuyasha started, "It's important that I speak with Ukimara"

"Master Ukimara? How come?"

"I just do" he spoke trying to bite back his aggravated growls. Neru shrugged, "I guess I could. I mean what damage could a half-demon do anyways?"

"What was that!" Inuyasha yelled. Neru took a step back defensively with a nervous laugh, "Nothing…so…what's your name anyway?"

"Inuyasha…" he spoke heading over to the now transformed Kirara. "Inuyasha…" Neru repeated, testing out the name with a smirk.

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Inuyasha followed the small kid for a few hours now, and was stating to think that Neru had no idea where they were going. "So, why do you want to speak with Master Ukimara again?" Neru asked. "I told you it's none of your business brat"

Neru rolled his eyes and looked back ahead. He was sitting on top of Kirara, followed by Inuyasha. "Neru?" Inuyasha asked. He continued when Neru looked his way, "What exactly is Ukimara?"

"A dog demon" he answered as if it was obvious. "No" Inuyasha spat "I mean what is Ukimara to the Dog demon clan?"

"Master Ukimara is the leader of the Dog Demon Clan. I thought you knew. Anyway, Lord Ukimara is probably the strongest leader we have ever had" he smiled excitedly at the mention of his master. "Calm down" Inuyasha rolled his eyes, "When are we gonna get there?"

"Well technically we are here. This entire forest is under the control of the dog clan. The entrance to Lord Ukimara's village is a little ways off. You can see the entrance once we reach the top of this hill"

He was right. Once they reached the top of the hill a very large wall was seen. Surrounding the top of the gates were soldiers who Inuyasah assumed were members of the Dog Demon Clan, and they all looked very strong. Neru jumped off of Kirara and ran towards the large wall. "Hold up!" Inuyasha yelled as he ran after the small dog.

Standing in front of the gates large doors were two guards. The first guard had on simple armor and shoulder length grey hair. He was an older looking demon. He wasn't tall and had a large gut, but despite this he had a strong look about him. Two purple demon stripes ran around his sleavless arms. The other man had long black hair held high in a tie. He was younger looking and wore a red and yellow kimono. His hand was held to his hilt as Inuyasha approached.

Neru paused as he reached the two, and Inuyasha followed panting as he caught up. The younger man spoke first, "Neru, you've been gone for two days now, Master Ukimara isn't happy" his brown eyes looked calmly at Neru. He then noticed an unfamiliar face, "And who the hell are you?" he looked at Inuyasha coldly. Inuyasha was use to such looks, and his coldness mached the demons, "Well that's not really any of your damn business now is it?"

The older guard broke through the glares and spoke, "Zotomoe, calm yourself" he looked at Inuyasha, "You are the son of Itsumaru, are you not? The old dog lord of the west?"

"So what if I am?" Inuyasha barked back. Zotomoe recognized the name, and his anger resurfaced, "So you're that bastard's half breed son? You aren't welcome here!"

"Heh" Inuyasha drew his Tetsaiga, "Is that suppose to scare me?"

Zotomoe drew his own small sword, "Your father is a disgrace to our clan, and so are you half breed!" he lunged towards Inuyasha, but was quickly grabbed by the back of the neck and thrown to the floor like a child. Zotomoe looked up to see the older man as the culprit. Zotomoe growled, "Haiku? What are you doing? He's Itsumaru's…"

"I know very well who he is" Haiku spoke sharply. His voice was kind and hardy, but he somehow was able to get his threat across successfully. Zotomoe remained sitting. Haiku looked back to the half demon, "Your name is Inuyasha right?"

Inuyasha nodded, realizing that this demon didn't mean him any harm. "What is it that you are doing here?" Haiku asked.

"I came here looking for Ukimara"

Haiku nodded, "I see. Master Ukimara is inside the walls…"

Zotomoe interrupted angrily, "Haiku! We are not allowed to let outsiders enter" he looked at Neru angrily, "We aren't even allowed to tell outsiders about our domain"

Neru slowly walked behind Inuyasha with a guilty smile. Haiku gave an annoyed sigh and looked at the still sitting Zotomoe, "Unless there has been a change, I am still the general of the Dog Demon Clan, meaning that I am your superior and you shall address me as such. Furthermore, it is I who decides what is to happen, not you. I have gone through this with you before, have I not?"

Zotomoe looked down, "Yes sir, Master Haiku"

"Let this be the last time then"

Haiku then looked at Neru with the same sterness in his voice "and Neru, you will not be permitted to leave these grounds until further notice by Master Ukimara or myself, do you understand?"

Neru stood up straight and nodded a bit scared, "Yes, sir"

Haiku smiled, "Very good"

Inuyasha understood why Neru acted so military like when he first met him. He must have been raised to act in such a way. Haiku looked at the half demon, "Inuyasha, if you wish to see Master Ukimara, you may enter" he looked up and gave a nod to an above demon and the doors opened. "Neru" Haiku began, "…You will be in charge of accompanying Inuyasha until he has seen Lord Ukimara"

Neru nodded with a smile, "Yes Master Haiku" he grabbed Inuyasha's arm and pulled him through the door. Inuyasha grumbled, annoyed at being pulled by the small child.

Zotomoe looked at Haiku as Inuyasha disappeared through the doorway, "Master Haiku, Do you honestly believe that we can trust him?"

"Things are not always what they seem to be Zotomoe"

Zotomoe tilted his head confused, "…What?"

The older demon shook his head with a sigh and mumbled to himself, "Young people these days"

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**This is going to be one of my best stories, and I'm excited about the next chapter. I'd really like it if you guys would review the story so far and tell me what you think. Trust me and keep reading the story (HINT: Everyone loves little flachbacks).**

**Much Love,**

**Merky15**


	3. Meeting the Dog Lord

So I went back and made some small revisions to my grammar and such. Small mistakes and junk, I guess I got too excited to do a double check, my bad. Anyways, the chapters should be better here on in. Thanks for the comments, enjoy :)

**Meeting the Dog Lord**

To Inuyasha's dismay the path that followed the gate was a very long one. Inuyasha might have realized how beautiful the forest path was if he wasn't so focused on meeting the feared demon who lay ahead of him. He wasn't sure what to think of this Ukimara. Totosai said he was a powerful demon, and that brat Neru said he was a great leader. He didn't sound too scary, so why was he getting so nervous? Inuyasha was probably more curious than anything else. This demon was said to hate his father and Totosai called them rivals, so why would this demon have trained Sesshomaru? Would this guarantee that he would receive training also or would Ukimara hold his pedigree against him?

Inuyasha stayed lost in his thoughts for a while, and after about a few miles Neru paused. They had arrived. Inuyasha looked to see a village centered around a beautiful forest with a large waterfall and river below yet another hill. "So this is the Dog Demon Clan?" Inuyasha asked Neru. He nodded, "Impressive huh?"

As Inuyasha and Neru traveled below, they walked through the dog demon clan village. The dog demons continued to give Inuyasha dirty looks, and whisperings were heard. None dared attack him though, where they given orders not to? Inuyasha remembered Totosai's advice, and tried his best to brush them off. Inuyasha eventually came to a large mansion that seemed to overlook the entire village. He assumed that this had to be the place where the Lord must be. A loud voice cut through the crowd, "Where do you think you're headed half breed?"

Inuyasha turned around to see a group of angry demons. The one who was addressing him appeared to be a slightly older and tough looking dog demon. Inuyasha also noticed that a crowd was starting to surround him. He gritted his teeth feeling slightly threatened, "None of you damn business"

Another demon from the group pointed at him, "Its Itsumaru's half breed son. Let's kill him now"

The group smiled, and the crowd watched on, ready to see some action. "Go ahead and try" Inuyasha growled pulling out the Tetsaiga, "I wouldn't mind a quick warm up"

The group of dogs took a few steps back after seeing the Tetsaiga. They recalled the stories they have heard about that sword, and some of them had witnessed its powers before. "Stop" Neru yelled while stepping in front of Inuyasha. "Move, Neru" one of the men barked. Neru shook his head, "I was given orders by Master Haiku, to allow Inuyasha to speak with Lord Ukimara"

"Who cares" the first dog spoke, "Haiku has gone senile. Let's just kill the half…"

Before he could finish, a bright light was seen and the demon fell to the floor. Inuyasha turned around to see the cause. Sesshomaru stood behind Inuyasha retracting his whip, he looked down at the dog, "Death has evaded you today. Insult Haiku again, and I will see to it you are not so lucky the next time"

The dog demon crawled away apologetically with a flesh wound to his back The crowd of dogs fell silent as Sesshomaru walked towards Inuyasha. The younger of the brothers stood in a defensive stance as he stared down his brother. The girls in the crowd all had dreamy looks in their eyes as the dog lord passed by. He stopped a few feet in front Inuyasha.

"My Lord" Neru bowed to Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru shot him a quick gentle look below, "Neru…"

"Lord Sesshomaru" Neru started, "Master Haiku has instructed me…"

"I heard…" he interrupted, his eyes not leaving Inuyasha's, "But I don't think Haiku's request will be honored", he pulled out his Tokijin. Inuyasha pushed his Tetsaiga completely in front, "You want to fight Sesshomaru?!"

Neru sensed the tension and shuffled out of the way. "What are you waiting for Inuyasha?" Sesshomaru asked, "You usually blindly charge me first"

"Shut up you bastard!" Inuyasha yelled as he jumped towards his brother. Sesshomaru easily parried him off. The crowd went crazy cheering as Sesshomaru fought.

In a matter of minutes Sesshomaru had launched Inuyasha through a couple of trees and the Tetsaiga landed on the ground by Inuyasha's side. Before Inuyasha could grasp its hilt, the Tokijin fell to his neck. "You're pathetic" Sesshomaru mocked. The cheers grew louder at the scene, shouting "Kill Him" "Go Lord Sesshomaru!", and other such statements. Through all the chaos a single voice cut through the noise, "That will be enough Sesshomaru"

The single voice silenced the crowd completely, and without a second thought the Tokijin was placed back to Sesshomaru's side, "Consider yourself spared" he spat in a monotone fashion at his brother, before turning to leave back inside the mansion. Everyone else in the crowd lowered themselves to their knees. Inuyasha re-sheathed the Tetsaiga, and looked to where the voice came from.

Inuyasha's eyes met a pair of blue ones. The eyes belonged to a women with black hair held high in a pony tail, and bangs that covered both sides of her face. Two blue stripes curved up her cheek. She slowly walked out of the mansion, her black armor covered her upper body and one of her shoulders, and her white hakama and top contrasted against it. She stopped and overlooked the scene in front of her ignoring Sesshomaru who walked past her and disappeared from site inside the mansion. Inuyasha noticed a green ruby encrusted spear on the demons back.

She began to walk slowly towards the scene, and not a sound was made. The women finally came to a stop when she reached Inuyasha's front. He looked at the woman confused. Who was she? She managed to control Sesshomaru with a single command.

The demon looked at Inuyasha as she spoke, "Neru…"

Neru suddenly appeared at her side, "Yes, sir"

"You've been gone for two days without any prior notification…"

He rubbed the back of his head, "Yeah well I was headed back here when I ran into Inuyasha and…"

"That is not an excuse"

Neru's head shifted down at her words. "See to it that it doesn't occur again" the demon commented before addressing Inuyasha, "and why are you here?"

Her voice was very stern, and Inuyasha couldn't help but feel intimidated. "My name's Inuyasha and…"

"I know who you are" she cut him off roughly, "I didn't ask you that. I asked why you are here"

Inuyasha was starting to get angry with the shrewdness of this demons voice "I want to talk to Ukimara" he spoke trying not to growl.

"Oh?" she spoke in a mocking tone, "And what may I ask for?"

He saw the looks of humor fill the crowd's eyes, and he mumbled his answer under his breath. "Speak up! Son of Itsumaru" the women yelled. Inuyasha stared at this demon, she was enjoying her game. He spoke louder, but could no longer hold back his growls, "I want Ukimara to train me!"

Everyone in the crowd laughed, and if Inuyasha didn't know any better he could have sworn he heard Sesshomaru give a small 'hmm' in amusement. The women lifted her hand to usher quiet, and silence followed. The demon women continued, "Ukimara is not training anyone", she turned to head back to the mansion and spoke in a slightly less harsh tone, "Go home Inuyasha"

"I'm not leaving until I speak with him!" Inuyasha yelled back. Again the crowd began to chuckle softly. The women shook her head with a smirk, "Suit yourself. Stay as long as you want, but you will not be trained"

Inuyasha took a step foreword. He was not going to leave so soon, "I don't give a damn what you say. Where's Ukimara?"

At this time Neru began to pull on Inuyasha's robe. "Not Now!" Inuyasha yelled, before looking back at the women, "I've come a long way and I ain't moving until I talk to the old guy"

"Inuyasha" Neru pulled on his robe again. "What?!" he yelled looking down a Neru. Neru shook his head at Inuyasha's ignorance, "That is Lord Ukimara"

Inuyasha's eye twitched, "Wh-wh-What?"

Ukimara spoke again with the same smirk, "I am Ukimara despite whatever your thoughts to the contrary were, and as I have said before, I will not train you" she walked back to her mansion leaving Inuyasha with his mouth slightly agape. "You may stay if you like" she called back, "none of my people will harm you, your brother included" with that she disappeared inside her mansion. The crowd dispersed when Ukimara left, slightly annoyed with her decision. Inuyasha looked at Neru still getting over his shock, "Why didn't you tell me Ukimara was a woman!" he yelled. "It's not my fault you didn't know" the small demon shrugged "I thought it was obvious"

Neru started to walk off, leaving Inuyasha in the same embarrassing spot. He turned back to the half demon, "So, you coming?"

"Inuyasha stopped his staring and followed, "Yeah"

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Ukimara walked past Sesshomaru who was leaning against the wall. She ignored him and sat down on the bed, "You're upset with me for stopping you"

He gave her no reply and shifted his eyes to the side in anger. She didn't need a verbal response, "You wouldn't have killed him anyways. You forget how well I know you, Sesshomaru"

"If you think that then it is apparent that you don't know me at all"

She smirked to herself her eyes closing, "Shouldn't you be off with your other companions?"

Sesshomaru had come to visit her a few days ago, and as usual he came alone. The green imp he traveled with wasn't with him, and neither was that new companion of his. She found it rather amusing, his new companion. Sesshomaru, the demon who despised humans, was allowing a human child to accompany him. She knew that most demons would find this to be a weakness, and in that there was some truth. She didn't care for humans, but that child seemed to be anything but a weakness. No, this child helped Sesshomaru in more ways than one.

"I'm interested in seeing your next move" Sesshomaru answered simply. It was a simple enough answer, and it was true. He was curious, but that wasn't his only reason. She opened her eyes and turned to the younger dog, "Interested? I said I would not train him, didn't I?"

A small smirk fell on Sesshomaru's lips, "You forget how well I know you"

"Oh?" she asked. His eyes traveled towards hers, "That is exactly what you told me" with that he turned to leave. "Sesshomaru" she called after him.

He stopped at the sound of her voice. She continued, "I meant what I said, leave your brother be"

He slowly shifted his eyes to hers, annoyance present in his expression. "Remember" she started, "You had those rights when you first came here"

"To think" he practically spat out "you're giving that fool the same treatment you gave me" for the second time he turned to leave, "Ridiculous"

Ukimara shook her head. Sesshomaru might not attack his brother again, but she knew that wouldn't stop him from mocking or intimidating him. She allowed a sigh to escape her lips as she spoke to herself, "To think, that throughout all the years I've spent with you, you still act as if you are 15" she let her eyes close as the dusk was starting to come. Tomorrow would be a long day.

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**There is no one reading this story, and I am kinda bummed out about it. So if anyone wants me to keep going let me know if not I might not even bother. So if there is a reason you want me to continue let me know. Thanks.**

**Much Love,**

**Merky15**


	4. The Answer to Why

**The Answer to Why**

It was dark now, and Neru took Inuyasha to the outskirts of the village. There were rows of trees by a smaller water fall, and a stream at its base. Inuyasha watched as the younger demon hopped to a branch of a tree. "So this is where you sleep huh?" Inuyasha asked, while he hopped to an opposite branch. He didn't mind sleeping in trees; in fact he sometimes preferred it. Neru gave a weak nod, "Not all the time, I sleep with Master Ukimara sometimes, but right now you're my responsibility, so here's fine"

"So…" Inuyasha started, "where's your parents anyway"

An uncaring shrug befell the child, "Well," he started, "They're dead. They died during a demon attack when I was a baby"

"Oh" Inuyasha began to regret asking the kid anything. Neru noticed the change in his new friends voice and smiled, "Don't worry about it, I get along just fine"

Another few minutes of silence filled the air. The usual sounds you would expect to accompany a stream at night were there, and the stars above shone down on the two dogs in the trees. "Umm, Master Inuyasha?" Neru piped out. Inuyasha immediately noticed the respect that Neru placed in front of his name and a type of flattery entered him, but he knew addressing it would make him sound foolish. A small smile fell on his face as he answered. "Yeah, what is it" he spoke trying to sound as normal as possible. Neru continued, "I was wondering, are you gonna stay here from now on?"

"Yeah right" He scoffed, "I'm gonna get trained by Ukimara, and get the hell out of here"

"What I mean is, you don't have to"

Inuyasha opened one of his eyes and let it wander to the small child, "What are you talking about?"

"Well, I mean after you get training from Master Ukimara you can still come back and visit, like Lord Sesshomaru does"

"Sesshomaru huh?" the sound of his name was enough to get on his nerves, "What the hell do you see in that guy anyway?"

"In Lord Sesshomaru?" he asked excitedly. He lifted his head from his resting position and looked at Inuyasha, "He's the strongest demon ever!"

Inuyasha let his eyes close again, and rested his hands behind his head, "Heh, that's a laugh"

"But he is. Like this one time, when a dragon demon started to attack the front gates. Lord Sesshomaru came…" at this time he started to imitate Sesshomaru's moves, "He brought the dragon down with one strike. It was Amazing!"

"Big deal, the guy killed a dragon"

Neru stared at Inuyasha for a few seconds in thought, "Master Inuyasha, why don't you like Lord Sesshomaru?"

He scoffed at the question, "How much time do you have?"

Neru looked at the stars with a strange smile on his face, "For as long as I've known Lord Sesshomaru he's always been one of my heroes"

"Well, you've got some messed up heroes then"

Neru looked at Inuyasha with the same smile. After a few minutes of silence Inuyasha turned to look at Neru. He smirked and rolled his eyes at the child. Neru had his eyes closed against the tree. He was sleeping in the same position Inuyasha had been in.

Inuyasha woke up earlier than he usually had, but somehow sleeping in the same vicinity as his brother didn't sit right with him. He needed to move around. He saw Neru still asleep and Kirara asleep against the tree's base. Quietly, Inuyasha rose and went for a walk.

He wasn't sure what he wanted to do. He needed to get this training. Something in him told him not to leave until he accomplished his task, but Ukimara had already told him no. How long was he going to stay here? Kagome and the others were waiting for his return, and he needed to continue his search for Naraku. He didn't have the luxury to be waiting around. He traveled down the small river and noticed the sound of the morning song birds begin to stir. He put his thoughts on hold as he let out a deep sigh, placing his hand to his head, "Dammit"

A small thump caught his attention. Inuyasha looked at the opposite side of the small steam and noticed Ukimara. She had just slashed down a bamboo tree with her spear, and dodged the impact. Inuyasha watched as the scene played out. Ukimara appeared to be fighting an invisible enemy with her spear and with great skill. She continued this for a few minutes. After a few back flips in the air, Ukimara paused with her spear held in front of her. Her eyes jetted behind her to Inuyasha as she spoke. An annoyed twinge befell her voice, "What is it?"

Inuyasha's ears twitched in confusion. How did she notice him? Oh, that's right, she's a dog demon. He stepped towards her, "I thought it was obvious. I'm here…."

Ukimara continued to practice her skills as if Inuyasha wasn't there. "HEY UKIMARA", he yelled in annoyance. She rolled her eyes as she stopped again, "You are here to get me to train you. For what?"

"I'm tracking down a demon named Naraku. In order for me to defeat him I need to get stronger…"

Her spear fell to the ground a few inches from his face, catching him off guard. She slowly followed. Inuyasha's mouth was still slightly opened from the shock he received from the spear, and his shock only increased when Ukimara began to circle around him. She looked him up and down with her arms crossed. She stopped when she returned to his full front, "Just as I thought" she smirked "…you're a weakling"

"I've killed my share of demons who have said that" he growled. Her smirk quickly left her face, "I wasn't asking for a response" she continued when she saw his expression soften, "I've trained your brother before, and you're wondering why I won't train you, right?"

He stared at the demon in front of her, unsure whether or not to give a verbal response. Ukimara was a very intimidating demon, and he was starting to see why Sesshomaru listened to her without hesitation. She retracted her weapon from the ground and rested it on her neck, "When your brother first came to me he had already been in a fair number of wars and he had battled alongside your father for some years. He was still learning to control his demonic powers and he had much to learn about skill. Yet, he was not by any means weak. Sesshomaru at the age of 15 was at a much higher level than you are now"

"What are you trying to say!" he tightened his fists in anger, "That, that bastards better than me?!"

"When you are rendered a mere mortal, do you have the ability to defend yourself or do you cower in fear?"

Who the hell did she think she was? He could feel his anger building up. She didn't look too tough. He could defeat her no problem. Ukimara saw the anger in his eyes and continued, knowing the answer, "you have come to count so much on your demonic power that you're defenseless when you lose it. I would think, being a half breed, you would wish to increase your strength more than you brother would, but clearly you don't"

Look!!!" he yelled, "I'm the one who beats Sesshomaru in battle!!!"

"Heh" a small smirk fell on her face in amusement, "I doubt your brother would use all of his strength against you. It would be an insult to him to try his hardest against such an unworthy opponent. You've only managed to find a new toy to play with. You're helpless without it"

"So," she started, looking into the growling half demon's eyes, "getting back to your basic question. The reason I'm not training you isn't because you are the half-breed son of that fool Itsumaru, but because you are weak and I don't waste my time on weaklings"

"IRON REAVER SOULD STEALER!!!" he wasn't sure why he did it or when it happened, but somewhere amongst her vast insults he had had enough. She easily jumped out of the way with a smile, "_So,_" she thought, "_there's fight in him"_

"All you've been doing is talking about how weak I am and how I don't compare to Sesshomaru. I've taken just about enough of it. I'll show you just how weak I am!"

"A fight is it?" she asked. She twisted her spear over her head and let it fall into the ground, "Very well, I'll prove my point. I'll show you just how limited you are. No weapons"

"That's fine with me. I'm not scared"

"No?" she asked, "Well than why not raise the stakes. If you by some miracle beat me then I will train you. When you do lose though, you will fill all the villager's water buckets, and prepare myself a hot bath"

"That's fine with me, cuz I'm not gonna lose!"

Neru arrived a few minutes ago. Kirara was on his shoulders watching the scene. Neru wiped the sleep out of his eyes, "oh man" he sighed, "He's gonna be busy all day. I'm gonna be so bored"

Inuyasha charged forward with his claws bared. Ukimara easily stepped to the side and quickly sent an elbow to the back of Inuyasha's neck. He fell face first to the ground, and quickly hopped back up. "You fight as if you are still a child" she mocked. He opened his mouth to make a response, but found that Ukimara's fist found its way into his gut. He was sent flying to the ground. Ukimara shook her head, "and you constantly leave yourself open for attacks. If I was using my claws you'd be dead by now"

"I can take a lot more damage than that!" he growled while wiping the blood from his mouth. Ukimara smirked, "Don't tempt me"

Ukimara charged Inuyasha, who was able to jump out of the way. She looked at him from her side view. He jumped towards her after her miss, but she more than easily moved out of the way.

Inuyasha looked around to see where she moved to. Similar to Neru, she was out of eyesight. "What's wrong?" Ukimara's voice asked, directly behind Inuyasha. He quickly turned around to have Ukimara land a sharp kick into his gut. The half breed was sent flying into the river. He lifted up his upper body and sat rubbing his head, when a bucket landed against it. He fell back from its impact. Ukimara stood in front of Inuyasha with her arms crossed, "I want them all filled and my bath ready before nightfall"

Inuyasha sat growling at the demoness. She had a mocking sound of humor as she spoke to him. She walked over to her spear, and after retrieving it she headed back towards the village.

Neru walked over to Inuyasha and started laughing, "Wow, Master Inuyasha. That was really bad"

A bucket landed against Neru's forehead. The small child fell to the floor as Inuyasha rose, "Oh, shut up" he growled while shacking off the water on his robe and hair.

When he exited the water he saw three other buckets on the side of the river, "_So"_ he thought in anger, "_She planned this from the beginning"_

Inuyasha carried the four buckets of water through a large bamboo pole, the very one that Ukimara had cut down previously. He arrived to the top of the hill and reached the demon village with Neru, "That wasn't that bad," he started, "it took like ten minutes most"

He stopped walking when he noticed what was in front of him. Inuyasha's buckets fell to the floor as a mound of empty buckets were thrown in a pile in front of him and Neru. "SHE WANT'S ME TO FILL ALL THOSE!!!"

Neru nodded, "yeah, and the four you just dropped"

"What's wrong Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha turned to see Ukimara sitting casually with her legs crossed on a large rock, "Don't tell me this childish task is too much for you to handle"

The crowd assembled around Ukimara and Inuyasha. They all began to chuckle at their master's comment. "What this?" Inuyasha asked looking at the mountain of buckets, "It just took me by surprise. It's nothing"

Neru shook his head at Inuyasha's comment. Doesn't he learn?

"Oh, of course" she spoke in her mocking tone, "Then you wouldn't mind wearing this" she held a chain in her hand, attached to the end was what looked like a small cannon ball. She tossed it up and down in her hand as she looked at Inuyasha. "What?" Inuyasha laughed, "Is that suppose to scare me. I can handle whatever you can dish out"

"Good" she answered shortly as she let the ball fall to the ground. Inuyasha's ears fell back at the large thud it made. A male dog demon attached the chain to Inuyasha's ankle. Ukimara nodded as the demon left. She rose from the rock, and lifted the ball from the ground. Inuyasha stared at the large indent it had made. Ukimara began, "This will make the task slightly harder. If you try to jump or rise from the ground, these weights will come crashing down on you"

He stared at Ukimara. Who the hell did she think she was? And why the hell did he want training from her again? She managed to trick him two times in the past twenty minutes. He quickly brushed past her in anger and grabbed the four buckets he had dropped earlier. He placed them back in the bamboo pole and gave Ukimara one last scowl before turning to leave. "Remember" Ukimara called after him as the ball dropped from her hand, "I want it done before nightfall"

Inuyasha continued to walk down the hill as he heard the sound of laughing demons behind him. Neru followed quickly to Inuyasha's side, carrying with him a single bucket.

_________________________________________

Inuyasha returned to the top of the hill again carrying four more buckets. He had been doing this mindless task for about an hour now and had managed to fill around one hundred of them.

Ukimara was right about the weights. He couldn't jump in the air, if he could the task would be done by now, and it made going up hill much harder because of the enormous weight the balls carried. "You're doing good master Inuyasha" Neru smiled placing down his bucket with the other filled ones. Before Inuyasha could respond he noticed that two of the buckets were kicked over. He looked at the cause and saw Sesshomaru standing over them, "Pathetic" the dog lord worded out, "is this all you've managed to accomplish?"

"You stuck up jack ass" Inuyasha withdrew the Tetsaiga, "You want a fight?"

"Why don't you leave?" he spoke in his monotone fashion, "There is no point to you staying. As if she would waste her time on a half-breed"

"What's wrong Sesshomaru?" he mocked, "Angry I'm gonna train under the same master as you?"

"Don't be a fool. You and I aren't even in the same class"

"I'll show you what class I'm in" he growled as he lunged towards his brother with the Tetsaiga drawn. Sesshomaru successfully stepped out of the way each time his brother wildly swung down his weapon. After a few moments, Sesshomaru landed a punch in his younger brother's face, and Inuyasha fell to the floor. He quickly sat back up to see Sesshomaru walking a way. "Are you running away Sesshomaru?" Inuyasha yelled, still on the floor. A smug smile fell on the demon lords face as he walked away from the scene, "Perhaps you should get back to work"

Inuyasha continued to give Sesshomaru an angry glare until he was out of eyesight. Neru turned his attention back to Inuyasha "Um, excuse me…master Inuyasha? I think we better get back to work"

"What?" he asked looking back at Neru. He then looked around and noticed that all of the water he had gathered was now a puddle on the ground. Sesshomaru had tricked him into knocking over all of the buckets. A weak and shocked expression fell on Inuyasha's face, "you've got to be kidding me"

Neru grabbed a bucket and started down the hill, "Well, let's get going Master Inuyasha" he smiled.

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**Damn, I love Sesshomaru. He's such a jerk, but I can totally picture him doing something like this. Anyways, Thanks to those few people who did comment. I'm really getting in to this one so the next chapter should be up soon. Please review the story, please.**

**Much Love,**

**Merky15**


	5. Beginnings

**Beginnings**

By the time they finished gathering the water it was well after sunset. Ukimara had her legs crossed while sitting on a large over grown root. Inuyasha had placed the last bucket down. He had an angry look on his face as he stared at the smug expression Ukimara wore.

Ukimara smiled at the younger dog in front of her. He was angry and she found the situation all too amusing. "It appears that you have breached our agreement" she called to him. He was tired from working and felt a bead of sweat roll down his face. He had to work twice as hard because of what his bastard older brother had done, and the weights on his ankles didn't exactly help him any.

A crowd began to assemble while Ukimara spoke. They too wore amused expressions on their faces. It was still light enough outside that Inuyasha could see the expressions of the other demon's faces. They all had wanted him to fail. Ukimara noticed everyone staring at the scene. She continued to stare at Inuyasha as she spoke with a stern voice, "Get back to your posts. I don't think this concerns any of you"

As soon as she spoke the crowd dispersed. She elegantly rose towards Inuyasha, "So, what do you have to say for your failure? Perhaps the reason you failed was because you are only a half-demon. If you can't perform such a childish task, what makes you think you can survive my training?"

When Inuyasha didn't answer, Neru spoke up in a pleading voice, "Please Master Ukimara, it wasn't Master Inuyasha's fault. He was about to finish when…"

Inuyasha abruptly stopped him, "No!…It was my fault"

"Oh?" Ukimara spoke, edging for the half demon to continue. A look of determination befell his face, "I could have done a better job, next time I will"

"Next time?" she asked mockingly, "What makes you think that there will be a next time?"

"Because I'm not going to leave until there is!" he fisted his hands as he yelled in response. A strange smile fell over her face "I see…"

She waited a few moments, contemplating. She looked at the eagerness in Inuyasha's eyes and the worry in Neru's. She tilted her head down to stare at the small child with the ruffled hair, "And you Neru? What do you think?"

A large smile fell on the child's face as he heard his Lord's words, "I think he has potential"

"I wouldn't go that far" she smirk, "…but fine" she turned to look at Inuyasha while addressing Neru "Why don't you take Inuyasha to your training session tomorrow"

Neru nodded fiercely. He was all too excited with Ukimara's words, "Yes, master"

Ukimara nodded for them to be dismissed. Neru grabbed Inuyasha's robe and led him away. Inuyasha was still unsure of what had happened. Did she just agree to train him?

She stayed in her same position watching the two leave. After she saw that they were completely out of eye and ear shot she spoke. "You can show yourself, they left" she looked over her other shoulder. For a second no one was there, but then Sesshomaru appeared from the behind a few trees. He casually walked towards her and stopped at her side, "He wasn't able to complete the task, yet you agree to train him?"

"I did" she turned to look back towards the spot Inuyasha had made his exit, "…but I knew he would never finish"

"Why is that?" he asked. He masked his confusion with agitation all too well. Ukimara read through it, "I knew you wouldn't let him" she threw him a weak smirk. He shifted his eyes to the side as a small aristocratic snort left his lips. She smirked at this and continued, "If he had blamed you I would have sent him away"

A serious expression now fell on her face. Her gaze went back to Sesshomaru, "Now there are no longer any reasons you have to stay here. Correct?"

He made no reply, and she wasn't expecting him to. She slowly started back to her home, and Sesshomaru watched her as she walked off. Inuyasha wasn't the reason he was staying and she knew it.

______________________________

"Good morning"

Inuyasha opened his eyes to find a young teenage looking girl smiling over him. He jumped back slightly surprised. Did all these dogs have the habit of hovering over people while they slept? He sent the culprit a dirty scowl. "Oops, sorry" she cringed back guiltily, "I didn't mean to scare you"

"You didn't scare me" he shot back, "who are you?"

Like Neru, she gave a military like stance "My name is Teshara, I've been sent by Lady Ukimara to retrieve you"

"I thought Neru was going too…"

"Change of plans, you won't be training with the children anymore. I suppose Lord Ukimara wants to see you in action in a different setting" she carried a kind smile about her as she spoke.

Inuyasha examined this new demon. She had mid-length pure white hair with parted bangs, and a blue head band covering her forehead. She was pretty, he easily noted that, but more importantly he didn't sense any sort of disdain coming from her voice. She wore a simple turquoise kimono without any sleeves, so she didn't have a high rank, but she didn't look weak either.

Teshara's big brown eyes blinked down at Inuyasha as he continued to examine her, "Ummm…Inuyasha?"

"Wait…" a look of realization covered his face, "…I was originally gonna be training with the kids?!"

He didn't need an answer. He knew that was what that witch Ukimara had planned. He gritted his teeth angrily at this thought. Ukimara wasn't caving in to his demands. She had just found another way to annoy him.

Teshara sensed his anger and smiled in an attempt to cheer him up, "Sorry, but you've been bumped up to roughly your own age group. Our training starts in an hour, will you be ready by then?"

He rose, "I'm ready now".

She wasn't expecting that. Teshara gave a small "Oh" as she held her finger to her chin in thought. "Then how would you like to get a small tour of the Dog Demon clan's land? I mean if you want me to"

"Yeah?" he asked. Besides Neru, Teshara was the only one in these lands that hadn't treated him like a second class citizen. She smiled at his confusion, "Sure thing" she smiled "It'll be fun"

______________________________

They walked through the demon village together. Teshara was given many looks of disapproval from the crowd, but the demons said nothing. Teshara seemed to be unaffected by this. Inuyasha on the other hand was all too aware of them. His body tensed subconsciously and his hand remained latched to the Tetsaiga's hilt.

"So" she started "why did you decide to ask Master Ukimara for training? Are you hunting down that Naraku demon as well? I hear that Lord Sesshomaru is"

He gave her a nod. He had only half an ear held in her direction. He was lost in examined the area around him and being on the alert of potential threats, "Uh-huh".

"Sorry if I'm not a very good tour giver" she apologized noting the half demon's lack of interest. Inuyasha ignored her comment and continued to look at his surroundings, "So" he started "does Ukimara train everyone in this village?"

"Of course not" she smiled with a small chuckle, "There are so many demons living here. Master Ukimara does train some" she continued to walk as she spoke, "Well, Master Ukimara has three different trainers here: Setzuki, Master Haiku, and of course Master Ukimara.

Setzuki, you'll meet her later, is one of Master Ukimara's best students. She trains the usually younger and un-advanced students. Master Haiku trains the advanced students, those are of different ages. Then there's Master Ukimara. She has two classes. The first class is for the children who are more advance and…"

"Wait!" he paused Teshara in confusion, "She trains the little brats? Why waste her time on them?"

Teshara gave him a weird look "Its common sense, isn't it? She trains the children and then sends them to where they're best suited. She always says that there isn't any specific reason why she sends people to certain trainers. 'It's all according to who needs who more' she says, but we all know the real reasons. Anyway, the students of hers that show the most skill remain training with her until the training is complete"

"How long does that take?"

"Well when a demon feels they're strong enough they'll leave the training, and continue it on their own. Thing is, they might say they've completed the training, but the truth is the only one who ever has gotten approval to leave and train on their own is Lord Sesshomaru"

"So he finished training?"

"Aren't you listening?" she smiled "No one ever _really_ finishes her training, but Sesshomaru no longer comes in for training sessions"

Inuyasha looked at her like she was crazy "…what?"

"She is still Lord Sesshomaru's master, only he is now capable of increasing his abilities on his own. We'll still see him coming here for her advice every now and then"

He shook his head giving up on her sense making, "So, she's training the brats right now?"

"Yeah, the ones who are advanced and Setzuki works with all the rest. When they reach a certain level, they will be sent to Master Haiku or continue training with her. The ones who are with Setzuki will go to train with Master Haiku after reaching a certain level, and if they become strong enough they will go with Master Ukimara. Your lucky though." she took a deep breath "You don't have to go through all of that, you're going directly to train with her"

"Did you have to train with Setzuki?"

She gave a small chuckle "No, she wasn't a trainer when I was younger. There was only Master Haiku, and Master Ukimara. I worked my way up from Master Haiku to Master Ukimara. Setzuki was always training with Master Ukimara though"

She stopped walking and grabbed Inuyasha's arm "Speaking of which, we better get going to our training session" she held his hand and started speeding of ahead. Inuyasha looked a little confused at how fast she was, not as fast as Sesshomaru or perhaps himself, but still impressive.

______________________________

They finally reached the familiar base of the waterfall. Teshara began to pant when she came to a stop, "Well…we…made it" she smiled. "Barely" a young girl answered with a sarcastic, emotionless glance. She was slightly taller then Teshara and had short light brown hair held in a small ponytail, similar to Miroku's. Her hair almost blended in with her short cut kimono. Under her right brown eye was a light blue demon mark that resembled a misshapen heart.

"Hello Setzuki" Teshara smiled warmly.

"That's Setzuki?" Inuyasha asked. He realized why Teshara smiled at his earlier question. Setzuki was probably only a few years older than Teshara was. "_They must have grown up together_" he thought.

"And you're the half demon brother of Lord Sesshomaru" Setzuki spoke answering Inuyasha's blatant comment. Teshara smiled, "That's right, his name's Inuyasha"

"I know his name" she replied while still starring down Inuyasha. The sound of footsteps called her attention back to the front.

Ukimara walked in from the back of the group. Everyone kneeled to the floor. Inuyasha stood confused for a moment before quickly mimicking the other's behaviors. "Oh Inuyasha, I see you didn't get lost finding this place" Ukimara smirked with her usual air of superiority.

Inuyasha looked around at the group of demons around him. They all appeared to be completely focused, even Teshara's smile faded away from her face as she stared at Ukimara.

Ukimara paced for a second. She then turned to the group and spoke, "I'm going to keep today's session short. There is business that I must see to today. So, let's have some sparing, and the rest of you should be able to continue on your own"

Setzuki rose and gave a small bow at Ukimara's words. She responded with a curt nod back and Setzuki stepped to Ukimara's side. Inuyasha noticed that no one else repeated Setzuki's action.

Ukimara noticed this as well and rolled her eyes, "Again, no one?"

Ukimara looked down to a young looking male demon. Inuyasha immediately recognized him as the demon guarding the gates earlier. "Zotomoe" Ukimara spoke, "want to give it a go?"

He didn't answer and looked down slightly embarrassed; a tint of red covered his nose. After a few seconds Inuyasha rose. He repeated Setzuki's actions and gave Ukimara a small bow. Teshara grabbed Inuyasha's robe in desperation. She shook her head at him whispering, "_No, Inuyasha, no_"

Ukimara gave an interested smirk, "You? Don't tell me you're trying to prove yourself?"

The group, minus Teshara, started to snicker. "Quite" Ukimara spoke out softly. At her voice the group was dead silent. Ukimara nodded at him and he walked over to her side, opposite Setzuki.

"I'm not going easy on you half-breed, like your big brother does" Setzuki spoke coldly in a whisper as she glared at Inuyasha. "No one asked you too" he replied with the same cold glare. Ukimara cut in after watching the two, "Oh!?" she smiled "I sense tension. Good, use that to make this an exceptionally interesting fight"

Ukimara looked at Inuyasha, "No weapons or claws, those are the rules"

He gave her a confused look. She read his look and answered what he was thinking, "Those are considered tools. You need to master your strength before you can expect tools to assist you as a fighter. First to three points wins" she stepped back "Fight"

As soon as Ukimara spoke Setzuki landed a kick in Inuyasha's chest. He fell back in pain. She caught him by surprise. "One point" Ukimara spoke. "_Lucky shot_" he thought as he rose, now aware of how this game was played. Inuyasha pulled himself off the ground to have a round house to his neck. He fell down again. "Two" Ukimara spoke lazily "One more for Setzuki to win"

Setzuki smirked "What's wrong, not comfortable down there? Better get used to it"

"Don't count on it" he quickly threw a punch her way. She easily caught it in her palm, "Pathetic"

Inuyasha pulled away before another kick landed in his chest again. "_He dodged it_?" Teshara thought.

The fight continued to go on with Setzuki and Inuyasha successfully dodging each other's hits. Eventually, Inuyasha landed a punch to her face. She landed gracefully, and felt her lip for blood. She gave him a deadly glare. As she did so, she saw him charging her again. She barely moved away in time to escape another punch. He had her on the ropes. She continued to step out of his way. After a few seconds she felt a fist land into her stomach. "Two for Inuyasha" Ukimara spoke.

Setzuki felt the blood from her mouth drip down her jaw. She was getting desperate. She couldn't let him win. She jumped in the air making a strange motion with her hands, before clasping them together.

Inuyasha watched her actions as strange triangle of light was made in her hands. This light shot down at Inuyasha, blinding him. Suddenly, a hard punch landed on the top of his head. "OWWW!" he yelled angrily. The light cleared and Setzuki stood behind Inuyasha her hand still fisted. Inuyasha was standing with one hand rubbing his head. "Setzuki's win" Ukimara yawned.

"She Cheated" Inuyasha yelled pointing at her. "How?" Ukimara asked already bored with this conversation. "You said no Weapons"

"She didn't use any weapon that was one of her abilities that she developed. There is a difference"

Inuyasha gave up and went back over to Teshara, grumbling under his breath. The rest of the training session was pretty boring after that. There were a few rounds of others sparing. Teshara won in a round against another demon girl, winning one too three. "That felt pointless" he later told Teshara after the session was over.

"Why?" she asked while wiping her face clean. "I didn't learn anything. Did Sesshomaru do this kind of training?"

"No" Setzuki cut in between the two, "Your brother's training was ridiculously tough. He was constantly in bandages, and would train one on one with Master Ukimara. She pushed him harder than any other student, but I don't think _**he**_ ever complained"

Inuyasha gave her a suspicious scowl, "What do you want? Weren't you calling me a half-breed earlier?"

"Aren't you one?" she responded uncaringly. He gritted his teeth in annoyance before Teshara patted his back with a smile, "Come on guys, we're not a bunch of kids here. Setzuki's just trying to be friendly"

"I wouldn't say friendly" she spoke in disgust, "He just isn't as weak as I first assumed"

He gave her another suspicious look and she continued, "I'm not used to getting hit in the face during this class unless I'm sparing with Master Ukimara, which is what usually ends up happening"

"Is that so?" he answered still a little untrustingly.

The three continued to walk together through the village in conversation. "So, why was Sesshomaru treated so different?" Inuyasha eventually asked Setzuki. They were now on speaking terms, and she proved to be more sociable then she first let on.

"What?" she answered in shock that he wouldn't know the answer, "I thought it was obvious. It's because he's…" but before she could finish her sentence, she was cut off.

"Master Inuyasha!" a voice yelled. The group turned to see Neru running over to them. He paused once he reached their front, "Oh, hi Teshara. Hi Setzuki. Inuyasha we gonna go hang out?"

"He's busy pipsqueak" Setzuki answered while crossing her arms. He responded by giving her an angry pout, "What? You gonna try to kiss him?"

A quick expression of embarrassment befell her face before it transformed into one of anger, "You little!"

Setzuki stepped forward in an attempt to grab him, but Neru slipped away behind Teshara and Inuyasha. "She works with the kids?" Inuyasha asked turning towards Teshara.

"Come on, Master Inuyasha lets get out of here" Neru pulled on Inuyasha's robe eagerly. Inuyasha quickly pulled away from the smaller dog, "Later Neru, I'm busy"

The two girls and Inuyasha continued walking, engaged in their conversation. Neru watched as the four left and heaved out a sigh. He had just been ditched.

_______________________________

Ukimara broke out into a rough fit of coughing, "_Not now_" her mind raced, "_Not now"_

The coughs became more violent and she was forced down to her bed. She quickly reached over to the glass of water at her side. She gulped it down and the coughs weakened until they were no longer there. Her breathing started to come back down. Her ears picked up the sound of footsteps. She knew who was coming and hoped that he didn't hear the fits of coughing, but she knew he had. He was a dog demon after all.

Sesshomaru's footsteps stopped as he entered Ukimara's room. He stayed silent as he looked at her. She didn't even bother to give him eye contact or look at him for that matter, "Still here huh?" she asked.

"You have some visitors"

"Who?" she asked. She was unaware of any appointments or conferences. "They say they come here in peace, Haiku let them in"

"Who?" she asked again. This time a hint of annoyance was present in her voice. He knew why she was so uptight and so decided to ignore it, "A group of three demons. They are with the Shin-Obi"

"I heard of them" she looked down in thought "They're hired hands" she rose trying to mask the pain she felt with her movements, "Send them in"

Without a second glance Sesshomaru left at her words. He didn't agree with her decision, but he knew why she did it. Ukimara knew that looking weak right now might cause problems later on. Still, he learned from a young age, from his father, not to trust what you can't see.

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Inuyasha and the two girls found a crowd begin to emerge around Ukimara's mansion. With some maneuvering by Setzuki, they managed to get to the near front of the crowd to see the commotion. The four saw three unknown demons entering the lands. They three wore black robes masking their faces. Inuyasha looked at the three and an uneasy feeling entered his gut.

Sesshomaru stared at them for a few seconds before he sent them inside the mansion. Inuyasha couldn't help but noticed that his brother's hand was resting on Tokijin's hilt. Had he gotten the same feeling? "Who are they?" Inuyasha asked.

Teshara shook her head, "I have no idea"

"They appear to be Shin-Obi" Setzuki's eyes stayed focused on the three, "They must want to speak with Master Ukimara"

"Who are the Shin-Obi?" Teshara and Inuyasha asked simultaneously. Setzuki rolled her eyes at the ignorance of the two, "They are an elite trained group of fighters for hire. They are probably asking Master Ukimara if she has use for their services"

"Would she?" Inuyasha asked Setzuki gave a weak shake of her head, "No, Master Ukimara hasn't attacked any clan for centuries"

Still, Setzuki had an uneasy feeling about the whole situation, "I'm going to speak with Haiku" she turned to head out. Inuyasha quickly stopped her, "No, stay here. I'll go"

Setzuki gave him a strange look. Did he receive the same uneasiness that she had? She looked back ahead as she crossed her arms, "Suit yourself"

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**I like this chapter a lot. That being said I hope you will choose to sent me a review. Come on, I mean you read the story. The least you can do is send a small reply on it. It takes a lot longer to actually write a story, ya know? And if you're an author then you know the feeling I'm talking about. GOOD KARMA!!!**

**Seriously though, tell me what you guys are thinking and I'll post the next chapter soon.**

**Much Love,**

**Merky15**


	6. Façade and Reasons

**Façade and Reasons **

Inuyasha flew off to find Haiku after first finding Kirara. He decided that his best bet would be to travel to where he had first met Haiku, the front gates. When he had arrived he found Haiku standing in the same post, but he was accompanied by a different man this time. "Hey Haiku?!" Inuyasha yelled. He jumped of Kirara and landed next to the old man, "What's the deal with you letting in those Shin-Obi guys?"

Haiku blinked semi-confused, "What now?"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes "The Shin-Obi…the ones in the black robes"

The other guard spoke to Haiku, he was also young and had long light brown hair, "Those three demon warriors, Master Haiku"

Haiku gave a hearty laugh, "Oh? Why didn't you say so?" he looked back to the half demon, "Now what seems to be the problem with that young Inuyasha?"

"There isn't a problem" he spat, "I just want to know what they wanted?"

Haiku closed his eyes and smiled genuinely, "I see. Well there isn't anything for you to worry about. They came to ask if there was any need for their assistance. They asked to speak with the lord is all."

Haiku started to walk and held his hand to Inuyasha's back for him to follow. The other man held his post. When out off ear shot Haiku continued, "You don't have to be worried about anything. You may find this hard to believe, but Lord Ukimara doesn't fight any unnecessary battles"

"Yeah?" Inuyasha asked. He was slightly interested in exactly who Ukimara was. She baffled him. Haiku nodded, "When Ukimara's Father was in charge of these lands, the late Lord would fight in numerous wars and many lost their lives fighting"

"Why'd he fight in so many wars?"

Haiku shrugged, "Mostly for power, all politics really. Lady Ukimara was very young when she took over as Lord of the lands. Many of the other clans had doubts about her ability to command the empire. She was the first woman to ever take control of this tribe you see…"

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_A teenage Ukimara had walked through a crowd of bowing dog demons. She stepped on top of her mansions patio and looked down at her subjects. Haiku followed her bringing with him the spear that Ukimara usually carried with her. _

_Haiku knelt down on one knee and held up the spear to his Lord, "The Spear of your father and all the Dog Demon Lords before him…" he emphasized his next words, having been the first time they were used, "…Lord Ukimara"_

_She gave him a nod and grabbed the spear with one hand. She examined it for a short moment as if in thought. A look of strong determination fell into her eyes as she held the spear up high for her people to see. _

_The sound of barking, cheers, and howls could be heard at her actions. Haiku stood at the new lord's side and whispered, "Your father would be proud"_

"_Would he?" she spoke back in a whisper a little unsure of herself and slightly angry. She knew what would happen and what she should expect in her future._

"_Why wouldn't he?" haiku smiled. _

"_I was never meant to become the leader of the Dog Demon Tribe" anger and grief struck her face, "Most of the elders here think that a woman holding this spear is a disgrace. Not to mention what the other clan lords think"_

"_I don't" Haiku spoke kindly, "…and they won't either once they see what you are capable of. You just need to earn your people's trust and respect"_

_She looked back at the spear in her hands. It was more than a powerful weapon. It stood for much more. Her eyes focused on the blade, "There will be many wars in the future. Other clans will think that my father's death and me taking over are signs of weakness, because of me my people will suffer for a while" she sighed, "My father's reign consisted of wars after wars…" _

_She pulled her staff down before addressed her people, "The Great Dog Demon Lord's death will not be in vain. He was a great warrior and fought with courage, and loyalty. We will destroy any of those who think other wise!". _

_Loud cheering could be heard from the group and she continued, "Let's make the rest of the world tremble before our strength. Let's make them tremble in the memory of the last Great Demon Lord! They will know our power!" she walked back inside the mansion, loud cheering behind her. _

_Haiku followed after her, "Very inspirational speech"_

_Ukimara sighed, "There will be countless battles for a while. I know we won't lose, but I'm tired of this fighting. My father had made too many enemies in his time" she fell down on her bed, "When the time of battling is over I won't put my people through any unnecessary wars again…"_

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Inuyasha stayed silent as he heard Haiku's words. So, she was powerful, intimidating, hated his father, but was a good leader. Somehow Ukimara seemed more complicated then he had thought. Haiku smiled at Inuyasha as he spoke, "She kept her word. So you see, you don't have to be in any worry. I doubt Lord Ukimara will except the Shin-Obi's offer, and I doubt we'd need their help even if we did engaged in a war. Still, it's always smart to be hospitable to your guests"

Inuyasha crossed his arms, "Yeah, I guess"

"Is there anything else young Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha thought for a moment. There was something else on his mind…, "Oh, I was wondering, what kind of training did Sesshomaru get form Ukimara?"

A serious look fell on Haiku's face "Why do you ask?"

"I was going to…"

"It would be best not too" Haiku's smile returned, "Lady Ukimara went harder on him than she should have. You should enjoy and be grateful for the training you're getting now" he smiled at the still suspicious young half demon, "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to return to my guard duty" he gave Inuyasha one last smile before turning to leave.

Inuyasha watched as the old man left. Exactly what did Ukimara do with Sesshomaru? Whatever it was he was more than capable of handling it. He had already been there for a few days now. Kagome and the others knew that he'd be gone for a while, but how much longer was he expected to wait until Ukimara actually trained him seriously? He needed to be stronger in a short amount of time so he could continue his search for Naraku and the Jewel Shards.

He turned to Kirara and the two flew back to the clan. Inuyasha made up his mind. He was going to speak to Ukimara and he would get the same training that his brother had.

______________________________

When Inuyasha returned to the clan he saw the hooded demons leaving Ukimara's mansion. Sesshomaru stood in the door way watching to make sure that they left. When the Shin-Obi were out of eyesight Sesshomaru reentered his master's room.

"_What the hell's that about?" _Inuyasha thought as he looked at the scene confused "_Why's that bastard still hanging around Ukimara_"

Inuyasha had thought that the reason his brother was sticking around was because he wanted to make sure he wouldn't receive any training. SO, shouldn't he have left by now, after seeing that he was being trained? Sesshomaru must have had a different motive for hanging around Ukimara. Was it because he didn't trust the Shin-Obi either?

Inuyasha watched as the crowd finally dispersed. His ears picked up a familiar voice, "Hey, so what did Master Haiku say?" Setzuki came from behind Inuyasha, breaking his thoughts. "Huh? Oh he said that Ukimara would say no to them"

"I guess he was right, they all left" Teshara looked at the Mansion door then back to her friends, "So how about we finish that tour huh?" Teshara smiled at Inuyasha. Inuyasha hadn't heard the comment but followed the group as his eyes remained transfixed on Ukimara's mansion. He needed to speak with her alone regarding his training.

____________________________

Inuyasha finally got the chance he was waiting for. It was late in the night when he saw Ukimara walking alone down the river. Inuyasha knew that this might be his only chance to address her without being pestered by his brother. If he was going to ask her it would have to be now. He slowly walked up from behind her.

"What is it Inuyasha?" Ukimara asked annoyed. Her back still faced him as she spoke. Inuyasha blinked surprised at how quickly she noticed his presence, "I needed to talk to you"

She turned around, "Oh?" her voice sounded distracted. Inuyasha stared at her for a moment. She looked a little different. Her blue eyes were now an almost violet color and so was her demon markings. Inuyasha noticed this change but placed it in the back of his mind, "It's about my training" his usual attitude resurfaced, "I need to get stronger faster"

She turned back to the river uninterested, "Than train harder"

"Look!" he yelled, "I need to be getting to back to my friends soon and…"

"What" she spoke angrily, not having to raise her voice to get her point across, "Exactly how long were you planning on staying?"

"I don't know, a week"

"A week?" she gave a small chuckle, but it quickly changed to a low tone of anger. She stepped closer to him "…You nagged me into training you and then tell me that you can only stay here for a week? This isn't some sort of game" her fangs showed as she growled, "I take my training very seriously"

For a moment his ears fell back, but with in a second he regained his composure, "I already told you I'm on a journey to find and destroy Naraku. I can't spend all my time here"

"and what exactly are you trying to say?" she looked at him curiously.

"I want the training you gave to Sesshomaru"

She shook her head and started to walk away, "No you don't"

He followed after her, "If I spend a couple of days with that kind of training will my skills drastically improve?"

She shook her head hurriedly, "Maybe"

"Then?"

She paused. Something else was obviously on her mind and she needed to finish this up. "You won't survive, in fact I guarantee you won't" she gave a small couple of coughs before she continued, "I won't give you the same training as Sesshomaru, but finding Naraku is important to you and I understand. I can train you one on one for the next couple of days. With the training I give you, you will definitely improve, somewhat. But afterwards, your improvement depends on how often you return here, understand?"

He nodded, confusion filled his face. He wasn't expecting it to be this easy to persuade her. He half expected to be arguing with her for hours. She would usually extend her conversations before giving out an answer, and he expected that answer to be no. It appeared to him that she was trying to wrap things up quickly, and be left alone. He didn't argue the matter and nodded "When?"

"You'll know when" she headed back for her room, "Get some rest, you'll need it".

He watched her head back to the mansion. He was finally able to get what he came for. In a few days he'd be able to return to his friends with enough strength to defeat Naraku.

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**Yay, Ukimara said yes. Kay I'm so happy with all the reviews that I'm getting. You guys are the best. Please continue with the reviews and I'll continue with the chapters.**

**Thanks, much love,**

**Merky15**


	7. Training Complications

**Training Complications**

It was early when Ukimara came for Inuyasha, "Get up" she shot. Inuyasha was lying on a tree branch. Kirara was sleeping underneath the tree and looked up at the sound of Ukimara's voice.

Ukimara stood on the branch opposite Inuyasha. She watched as the half demon turned to the side still in slumber. After rolling her eyes she threw a bag roughly on top of him. The heavy bag made a thump when it landed in his chest.

Inuyasha quickly jumped out of his sleep. He looked around on edge for the cause. His anger quickly dissolved when he saw Ukimara standing above him. A defeated pout fell on his face as he saw her.

He looked around, and noticed it was still dark outside. He then examined the bag that was thrown at him. It had some weight to it and was most likely filled with supplies. Ukimara stood against the tree gracefully. Her spear was held on her back by some strap and a similar bag to Inuyasha's accompanied it. "We're running late" she spoke in her usual bored fashion. She looked up to the stars as she spoke.

"Late?" Inuyasha spat out, "It's still dark outside" he started to close his eyes again and regain his slumber. As soon as Inuyasha retrieved his comfortable position, Ukimara kicked him off the tree. He fell head first to the ground next to Kirara. The small cat blinked in confusion.

Ukimara looked down from the tree to Inuyasha, "Don't make me ask again" she spoke with a threatening hint in her voice. She turned her back to the half breed and started hopping off from tree to tree. Inuyasha grumbled as he rose with the bag and quickly followed after her.

"Why'd we get up so early?" he asked once he caught up to Ukimara. She gave him no eye contact as she continued through the forest, "You wanted to get as much training as you could in a couple of days. We'll be training those entire two days"

Inuyasha understood and nodded as he followed, only slightly behind Ukimara.

They started hopping off for an hour or two. There was no conversation, and every time Inuyasha started to say something he thought better of it and shut up.

Ukimara was still a mystery to him. Through the couple of days he had been here his first onion of her started to construct into something different. Something in him wanted to know more. Something in him told him that he should know more. Who was Ukimara? Why did she agree to train him and his brother? And why did she hate his father?

The sun had started to appear and Ukimara suddenly stopped. Inuyasha was panting behind the great demon. She turned around in complete composure, "Are you warmed up now?"

"That was a warm up?" Inuyasha panted in shock. No smirk escape her lips as she looked up at the rising sun, "It gets harder from here on in" she turned to look at the younger demon, "Are you prepared for that?"

Without any hesitation he nodded.

"Good" she started, "Then lets go" she jumped from the tree to the ground followed by Inuyasha.

In the very center of the vast forest was an enormous mountain. Ukimara walked towards the base, "Above is where the vast majority of our training will commence"

Inuyasha followed behind her, "And what exactly will that be?" he spoke with his usual attitude.

"Don't start" she shot back, "I'll get to that"

They reached the front of the mountains base. Above, the sky was illuminated with the different colors of light the sun brings on its way up. "I have brought only my most promising students to train here with me" Ukimara spoke when she came to a stop.

"Yeah?" Inuyasha asked a little shocked.

"Don't get cocky" she sharply replied before turning to face him, "I see no such promise in you. I bring you here because this is what you wanted, and after an hour or so of this you'll no longer wish to continue your training here. In fact, if you survive, I very much doubt I'll see you here again"

Her glare was filled with such a silent authority that Inuyasha gave no answer. She continued, "The first training task is simple enough, it only requires that you reach the top of the mountain"

"That's it?" he spoke with a tad of smugness. She nodded "Of course…" she gave a small smirk of amusement, "that means without your precious Tetsaiga"

"What?" he smirked back, "Is that suppose to frighten me?"

"Perhaps it was" she shrugged, "Although I think that after you wear this around your neck…" she pulled out a type of necklace from the inside of her bag, "…you'll understand what I mean"

Inuyasha pointed at the necklace confused, "And exactly what is that supposed to be?"

"A pendent" she shrugged innocently. She held out a gold chain with a type of amulet attached. A strange symbol was carved all around, and a blue crystal lay in the middle.

A cocky looked fell on Inuyasha's face as he reached for the amulet, but before he could reach it a strange chill ran through out his body.

"Well?" Ukimara started when she saw the look of hesitation in Inuyasha's eyes, "Put it on"

A small grunt escaped his lips as he took hold of the necklace. He stared at it for a moment before he placed it around his neck. Once the amulet fell against his chest a wave of pain and pressure fell over him. Inuyasha almost fell to his knees, but with all his strength he managed to stand.

"What's wrong? Is the power of the _purifying_ amulet too much? If that's the case then give it back to me" Ukimara reached out her hand for the necklace. Inuyasha shook his head, "…No"

After Ukimara saw the effect the amulet had on Inuyasha she spoke, "The only real human threat to a demon is a human who has spiritual powers" she looked up as she spoke, "…Some might say demon slayers as well, but only weaker demons have to worry about them"

She turned to look at the top of the mountain, "If you are able to reach the top of the mountain without falling prey to the amulet or a demon, you will finish this task. This is meant to teach you to overcome spiritual powers"

"That's it…" he muttered trying his best to appear unaffected by the amulet, "All this …to deal with…spiritual powers?" his legs shook as he spoke.

"That's right" she smugly began, "… I found this appropriate considering that you fell prey to a human priestess 50 years ago"

A small growl escaped Inuyasha's lips "_how the hell did she know about that?_" he thought "..._Probably from that bastard Sesshomaru_"

"I'll see you at the top then" she smirked, before jumping with ease toward the top of the mountain.

He watched as Ukimara slowly disappeared from his view. So he was supposed to reach the top of this damn mountain, huh? It didn't sound too tough, but he couldn't wield the Tetsaiga and he had to wear this damn pendant.

Inuyasha's eyes twitched in agitation, "Fine! It's harder then I thought, but if she thinks that's gonna scare me off she's got another thing coming!"

After his small tantrum of anger, Inuyasha took a deep breath and started for the top of the mountain, feeling as if he was going to drop dead at any moment.

Luckily for Inuyasha there was only a small amount of demons that he had to fight through before he successfully reached the top of the mountain, and none of those demons were worth anything. He was able to slice through them easily enough with his claws anyways.

When he reached the top he found Ukimara in a meditative position on the floor. Once all four of his limbs were firmly at the top, he allowed himself to fall to the floor. He was covered in sweat and was panting heavily.

His eyes opened as he looked at the sky. It looked as if most of the day had gone, perhaps four or five hours. He pushed his head back to see Ukimara, who was still in the same position. He rolled his eyes when he realized that she wasn't going to approach him. He found some energy and pushed himself up to walk over to her.

Once he reached Ukimara's side, her eyes opened, "Welcome Inuyasha. You've done adequate"

"Adequate?" he panted angrily. She ignored him and rose. "Before you remove it…" she motioned to the pendent, "I want you to perform one more task"

"What?" he asked annoyed and still panting. She gracefully removed the spear on her back and began twisting it over her head a couple of times. She abruptly stopped and pointing it towards the young half breed. "Draw your Tetsaiga" she spoke with a deadly glare.

Inuyasha shrugged off her stare, and pulled out his weapon. He pointed the Tetsaiga to Ukimara, but to his surprise it remained untransformed. Although, that didn't stop Ukimara from attacking Inuyasha.

Ukimara jumped forward and slashed down her spear towards Inuyasha. When he jumped away in time, she turned and jabbed him in the chest. He landed roughly on the floor. Ukimara leaned on her Spear lazily and looked down at Inuyasha, "Just as I expected, you haven't mastered being under the amulet"

"I made it up here, didn't I?!" he yelled angry at the current situation.

"True," she answered in a lazy fashion, "…which is more than I thought you were capable of, but the Tetsaiga proves otherwise. You see, the Tetsaiga is an extension of your own capabilities. If it is being blocked by the amulet, then so too is your power"

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about, but if getting the Tetsaiga transformed means I can take this stupid amulet off then I'll do it" he spoke while rising from the ground. He pointed his rusty blade to his master, who responded by pointing her weapon back at him. They began their blade fight, and Ukimara continued to parry him off. "You need to predict your opponents every move" she reprimanded after striking him to the floor, again.

It was well after sundown and Inuyasha's Tetsaiga still remained untransformed. Inuyasha gave his full concentration to his opponent, and in doing so he failed to notice something. As the fight continued Ukimara's movements began to get slower. This fact was ignored further when Inuyasha noticed that his own speed was improving.

This continued for a while until Ukimara began to show obvious signs of tire. Ukimara abruptly twisted her blade around her head, before she hit the Tetsaiga out of Inuyasha's hand. Inuyasha's attention was turned away from his blade when he noticed that Ukimara's spear was pointing to his neck.

"Enough" she spoke coldly, masking her own deep breathes. She put her spear away and began to walk down the mountain, as if in great haste. A confused look befell the half breed as he followed her and sheathed his weapon. "What now?" he asked.

"We're heading back towards the clan" she answered shortly.

"Yeah, but we didn't get to finish the training with the amulet"

"Later" she quickly shot. Inuyasha didn't need to see her face to know that something serious was on her mind.

They walked in silence down the mountain. He decided against speaking, she was in no mood for it as far as he could tell. In this silence Inuyasha began to notice that Ukimara's movements began to get slower and slower.

After about halfway down the mountain she suddenly stopped and leaned down placing her hands to her knees. She panted in and out deeply in a sweat. Inuyasha quickly walked to her side and looked down at her, "what's wrong? Are you okay?" he started towards her in an attempt to help her up. Before he could touch her a growl escaped her lips, "No!" she sent him an angry glare, her hands still to her knees. Inuyasha quickly jumped back.

Ukimara had a look of anger and pain on her face as she forced herself upright, and began to walk again. In the middle of her steps her eyes widened and she quickly jumped back.

As soon as she moved a large scorpion demon came from out of the ground. "Inuyasha!" Ukimara yelled. Inuyasha, who already had his Tetsaiga out, turned and looked at Ukimara.

"Follow me" Ukimara called as she started to run down the steep mountain.

He placed his weapon away angrily and followed her down to the bottom of the mountain. "What's the matter?" Inuyasha yelled when they safely reached the mountain's base, "…I could have taken that demon"

Inuyasha stopped when he noticed that Ukimara wasn't paying him any attention. Instead she stared behind him at the mountain. After a few seconds the mountain began to rumble and the large scorpion demon appeared from under the ground.

Inuyasha slowly turned around to see the scorpion's tail coming down towards him.

Ukimara quickly pushed the young half demon out of the way, and sliced down her spear. As she did so a large blast escaped the spear and was sent towards the scorpion. The demon was sliced open from it's head to the back of it's torso.

Inuyasha looked on in awe at her movements. He had no idea that the spear she carried was so powerful. "You idiot" Ukimara spoke to Inuyasha, while still eyeing the dead demon corpse, "…You should have been able to notice that demon"

"It's not my fault this amulet is messing up my nose!!" he pointed at his nose as he yelled in defense. She shook her head and turned around to look at Inuyasha.

Inuyasha looked at her. Something wasn't right. Ukimara's eyes were flashing from a blue to a deep purple color, and so too was her demon marks. "Wh-what's going on" he asked confused.

Ukimara opened her mouth to explain when the scorpion's tail came from behind and stabbed into Ukimara's back and threw her stomach. Her eyes widened as she fell to the floor.

Inuyasha quickly reached for the Tetsaiga, which transformed, and blasted out the Wind Scar at the scorpion. The demon evaporated in the blast, and Inuyasha ran over towards Ukimara. He lifted her head up onto his lap. "Ukimara!"

She began to speak through her pants, "Some types… of insect demons aren't…killed by destroying the brain…alone" she lifted her self up; blood dripping onto the floor.

"What do you think you're doing?!" he yelled as Ukimara started to walk. She clutched her stomach in pain, "You don't…think that…a demon's weak poison…can kill me…do you?"

"I'm not an idiot" he yelled, "…something was wrong with you before that"

But she couldn't hear his last statement. Everything started to go into a blur. "_Dammit_" her mind raced. She knew what was happening. She knew that it was coming, but as always she tried to ignore it. She felt the throbbing in her demon marks and felt the sweat run down her face. She couldn't see. She couldn't smell right. She couldn't hear.

She fell to her knees and then to the floor. It was coming. She started to grit her teeth. The pain was coming. She clutched her stomach as she let out a loud roar of anguish. All she could remember and concentrate on was the familiar pain that now eclipsed her.

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**So, what do you guys think about the story? I'm actually really loving it. Of course I guess if I didn't I wouldn't be writing it…Anyways, on the last chapter I only got one review. I'm not mean though, so I'm not going to hold any chapters back. **

**That being said, since I'm being nice about this, can you please send me some reviews? Please….**

**Thanks to those who did review and to those who are reading my story. I really do appreciate it. Sorry about the cliffy, but the next chapter is going to be awesome!!!!**

**Much Love,**

**Merky15**


	8. Learning the Truth

**Learning the Truth**

She recalled the feeling of being moved and carried, and that was all she really recalled. She had been moving fast, but she was mostly conscious of the pain she was feeling. It felt as if someone was tearing away at her insides, and the fiery pain that she felt burned her entire being. Her mind pulsed and she was helpless to stop the hurt. All she was able to do was fight it from spreading or getting worse, but she would never fall prey to it. She never had.

When she came too she was in a damp cave, the sky was even darker than before, and rain started to pour outside. She blinked her eyes into focus as she stared at the ceiling above. The pain's intensity had started to come to an end. She knew the small moment of freedom wouldn't last long, but she was still grateful when it did. She could feel the small throbbing in her body, part of the aftermath. She knew that it would take energy to move, and that made sense. Her body must have been fighting for hours, and her senses where low as well. She could hardly make out the scent of someone by her side. She slowly moved her head to her side to see the one who was accompanying her. She was right about her lack in energy. Her head throbbed as she turned it.

She noticed that she had been lying by a small fire. Her eyes looked at the dancing embers. She smirked inwardly at this. Did he think that the fire would have any effect on her? She was a powerful demon, cold did not bother her. Her eyes shifted towards the one who made the fire. Inuyasha was staring into the flames as he sat close by it.

It was at this time that Ukimara noticed that Inuyasha's red fire robe was missing. She looked down and noticed that Inuyasha's fire rate robe was over her, "_Did he assume that I would need this?_" she thought with the same inward smirk. Still, she couldn't help but feel touched, in a small way.

She moved her hand to feel her stomach. She noticed that most of the bleeding had stopped, but the blood had stained all through her white clothes. She looked back at the solemn faced half demon, "You did well"

He turned to her as she spoke. He just noticed that she had come too. Ukimara continued trying to sound as dignified as she could, "I didn't expect you to master the amulet so fast" she smiled sarcastically.

"I'm surprised you didn't die after you lost all that blood" Inuyasha softly shot back. He tried to sound as if he was unaffected by the situation, but he realized that his comment didn't pack the punch he wanted it to.

"My body's stronger than yours" she replied, "I'm a pure demon who's been alive for many years. A scorpion's poison wouldn't kill me"

Inuyasha's usual look resurfaced after she spoke. He had gone through enough with her today, and he didn't deserve to be left out in the dark. He had a right to know what the hell was happening, "Maybe you should explain what's been going on then…" his voice started to pick up, "Why were your eyes changing like that?"

He stared at her, and her expression didn't change. He noticed her eyes and mark had returned to the bluish violet color they were this morning. Did this mean she getting better?

Ukimara broke her eye contact with Inuyasha and looked up, "Are we back at the village?" she asked softly.

He shook his head in aggravation and started to poke the fire with a stick, "You wouldn't let me take you, remember?" he continued when she didn't answer, "You told me not to take you back to the demon clan. So, I found this cave. You wouldn't let me wrap your wounds either…you were screaming…you finally stopped about twenty minutes ago"

She looked down, and something like guilt entered her eyes and quickly left. She looked back at the half demon and at the scared expression he had been trying to hide. He must have been scared and confused about what was going on. She noticed that he was still on edge. He did well under the given situation. She acknowledged this fact in her mind. She also acknowledged something else. Inuyasha was hungry for answers.

She tried to rise. She was annoyed with the amount of energy this had taken. She even let out a small grunt. She sat upright and looked at the young half demon. It was time. She would explain to him what he needed to know. "It's quite a long story. About what's happened Inuyasha"

"What are you talking about?" Inuyasha's eyes met her distant expression.

She paused for a moment contemplating what to say. A strange smile fell over her face and she continued, "I never hated anyone more then your father. He abandoned his people when they needed him" her hands fisted on the robe of the fire rat, "I'll never forget the day he left in order to protect the weak demons in the west"

"He was just one demon though" Inuyasha started. It looked like Ukimara was talkative right now. This seemed out of character, but maybe she was still not right in the head. Whatever the cause, he was going to use this situation to his advantage. He wanted answers, "Why would it matter that he left? Was losing him that big of a loss?"

"It was for the clan" she shrugged indifferently, "He was the son of the leader of the Northern Dog Demon Clan, and he would have been their next leader. It only makes sense that everyone would feel betrayed"

"Wait!" He must have heard her wrong. He must have gotten the facts mixed up. A strange look consumed Inuyasha. It was a mix of anger and disbelief, "I thought you were the daughter of the old Dog Demon leader"

She smiled weakly with a small shake of her head. She was silent for a few seconds before she spoke, "I am" she sighed. She didn't want to finish what she was saying, or rather she didn't like the way it sounded, "…Itsumaru… was my older brother"

So, he had heard right. Ukimara was the younger sister of Itsumaru, but that didn't work. That didn't fit. If Ukimara was his father's sister…"then that means…' the look of disbelief was still there, "…you're….you're…"

She closed her eyes at Inuyasha's lack of deduction. She nodded at him, "I am yours and Sesshomaru's aunt"

"You're…What!?" Inuyasha fell back in shock. His mouth was still agape. No, that didn't work. One, she didn't look anything like them. She had blue eyes and black hair. He, Sesshomaru, and he assumed his father all had white hair and gold eyes. Two, her scent was different, wasn't it? He let his nose sniff the air towards her. He hadn't noticed it before, but her scent was strange. There was a scent that he couldn't place, but behind that there was another scent. It was a scent of a dog demon. It was a pure scent, and it was being shadowed by that other unrecognizable one. The dog demon scent though, it was easy to recognize. It was, it was…

Inuyasha glared at the women who sat unchanged in front of him. He quickly jumped up. His hands fisted with anger, "…Why didn't you tell me!"

Again her expression remained the same, "I didn't think it was important" she shrugged.

"Why wouldn't that be important!" he growled. He always thought that he was alone, besides his no help brother. All these years there's been another. There's been someone else who shares a blood connection, and no one thought it was important to mention it?

"Enough" she spoke in her usual quite demanding voice. He was starting to see where Sesshomaru got it from. She continued when Inuyasha's body was less tense, "I do not care to learn the reasons behind your spontaneous anger. I was not known to you for reasons, and that is all you need to know about that. As it is now, you were sent to me, were you not?"

"What does that have to do with anything!?" Inuyasha's anger was starting to resurface.

Again she rolled her eyes at his brilliant power of deduction. Perhaps she was expecting him to have the same abilities as her eldest nephew, who obviously inherited that trait from her. "Why do you think that fool sent you to me?"

"You, you knew who sent me?"

"I'm not a fool, Inuyasha. I was told of your coming long before you arrived, and I only had to assume that it was that fool Totosai who sent you my way" she sneered at the name of the old man. She looked to her nephew, "Do you still not see that connection?"

He shook his head, "What connection?!"

"Your _father_" she sneered, "He carved everything out before he died. He had everything laid out in a way where he would be able to predict what would happen"

"What are you saying?"

"Your father made it so you would not meet me until this time. Your father had planned long ago for Totosai to send you to me. Your father also engraved it so I would train his eldest. I believe, I know your father knew that I would end up training both of you. Of course it would have to be at the most opportune moment for the both of you"

Inuyasha was still not completely following. What was going on? His father planned out their lives before he died. His father made it so he would go to Ukimara at this time? Something else didn't make sense though: Why would Ukimara agree to it?

"But…" Inuyasha started, "You, you hated my father. You said it yourself. Why would you agree to train me and Sesshomaru?"

Ukimara placed her hands against her knees. She looked down for a few seconds, and then back up still in silence. "I was the one who killed your father" she spoke firmly as she stared into his eyes.

Inuyasha shook his head, "No, that's impossible. He died saving my mother!"

"That is true, but before your birth there was a demon that had reawakened from a deep slumber. His name was Ryokotsei…" she looked up as she explained, "You see, that demon was sealed by our father and his father before him. When he awoke it fell into my duty to put him back into his seal"

"Didn't my father seal Ryokotsei?"

"It seems you're not as ignorant as I thought" she smiled when Inuyasha gave her a dirty look. She continued, "Both your father and I met on our way to seal Ryokotsei…"

_____________________________

"_What are you doing here Itsumaru?" a younger Ukimara stared at her brother with a look of pure disgust. Itsumaru stared at his younger sister with a calm disposition. Behind him was his son Sesshomaru; about 15. _

_Itsumaru carried a patient tone whenever he spoke and it wasn't an exception today, "I believe for the same reason you are"_

"_Really?" she crossed her arms and looked her brother up and down. Her eyes returned to his, "If that is the case, then you have no right to be here" She quickly pulled out her spear. _

_At the same speed her brother pulled out the Tetsaiga. With of about equal speed the two demons clashed weapons. Sparks of power emanated from the two blades. _

_The two demons jumped away from each other and the two unleashed powerful blasts at one another. Ukimara's spears blast cancelled out Itsumaru's Wind Scar. After the dust cleared the two were clashing weapons again._

_Sesshomaru watched the clash of the two giants go back and forth continuously, in slight awe. For years the two were in war after war against each other, even before he was born. That being so, he had seen them battle against one another before, but watching the two invincible warriors go at each other was always an amazing sight. _

_They continued to fight for a few minutes and neither had even broken a sweat. Suddenly, a large dragon tail landed in between the two dogs. Both warriors jumped out of the way in the opposite direction of each other, easily avoiding the attack._

_Ukimara looked at the large dragon, "Ryokotsei" she growled._

"_Well, well, well…" the large dragon laughed, "It appears that the Dog Lord's foolish offspring have done me the honor of coming here"_

"_You are overly full of yourself Ryokotsei" Itsumaru spoke with a calm and deep voice. It was almost as if he was examining his prey as he spoke. Ukimara appeared only a few feet away from her brother. She held her spear at the ready. _

_Ryokotsei gave a low laugh at Itsumaru, "Perhaps, but why should that matter to you? You won't be here much longer" again the tail came clashing down towards Itsumaru. He gracefully moved out of the way and slashed down the Wind Scar. Ukimara also jumped into the fight._

_The battle continued and looked much like a battle where Sesshomaru and Inuyasha are fighting the same enemy. The two siblings would both attack the enemy and push the other out of the way with an attack of their own. Of course, Ukimara was the one who was doing most of the pushing. _

_The fight continued for a while. The siblings both stopped at the mountains ledge and stared down at the demon who wouldn't quite go down. Itsumaru and Ukimara both carried a serious expression as they glared at the laughing dragon._

_Ukimara had had enough of the demon's mocking laugh. She cut in front of Itsumaru and sent her spear crashing down onto the top of Ryokotsei's head. When Ryokotsei laughed at how ineffective her attack was, she pushed herself off. As she did, Ryokotsei hit her in the stomach with his powerful tail. _

_She hit the wall of the cliff and let out a groan of pain. When she looked up she saw a blast from Ryokotsei crashing down towards her. Her eyes widened at this. There was no way she could escape the head on attack. She placed out her spear in defense, and turned her head in order to brace herself._

_Blood fell to the floor. Ukimara opened her eyes. When had she had them closed? Was she actually scared for a moment? Something wasn't right. That wasn't her blood. She looked in front of her to see Itsumaru's back. Her eyes remained large in confusion. _

_Itsumaru was covered in scratches and his arm was bleeding badly. He looked over his back to see Ukimara staring at him in disbelief. He said nothing, and his expression was unreadable. Was he showing that he was superior? Was he checking to see she was unharmed? Or was he telling her to stay where she was? What the hell was that bastard thinking saving her? She didn't ask for his help._

_He turned and looked ahead at his opponent, and a light was starting to engulf him. He began to transform into his large white dog demon self. _

_The large dog jumped towards Ryokotsei. He was still injured, but his attacks appeared to be wearing the demon down. Then, Ryokotsei bit down on Itsumaru's arm. _

_The white dog let out a loud roar of pain. She wasn't sure why she did it, but Ukimara responded to her brother's roar by transforming into her demon form. _

_A large black coated dog with blue eyes appeared and clashed at Ryokotsei. In doing so the dragon's grip on Itsumaru fell. _

_The Ryokotsei turned his attention to the black dog, and the two large demons were at ends. Unfortunately, Ukimara couldn't penetrate the large dragon's hardened scales._

_After a few moments Ukimara reverted back into her more human form. Covered in cut and bite marks she looked up at Ryokotsei. She held her ribs in pain from her previous experience of Ryokotsei's powerful tail. _

_She pulled out her spear getting ready to go again, but she fell to one knee in pain. Ryokotsei laughed at the two demons. Itsumaru was still transformed, but bleeding profusely from his chest and arm, and Ukimara could barely stand. "How pathetic you all are" _

_The large dragon then looked at Sesshomaru who, by his fathers orders, hadn't made a move the entire battle, "Maybe you could prove to be more of a challenge than them" Ryokotsei began, "Why don't we have a go then, huh?" _

_Sesshomaru placed his claws in a fighting stance when the large white dog stepped in front of him as if saying 'no'. _

"_It looks like there's still some fight in you, I like that!" Ryokotsei smiled as he prepared to send another blast. The giant white dog ran forward at the time the blast was released. _

_Ryokotsei's attack was formidable to any demon, but Itsumaru pushed himself through the bright blast. Ryokotsei watched in shock, "How is this possible?"_

_Itsumaru's large paw was the first to come through the blast of energy. As it did, Itsumaru's large claw landed into the small hole in Ryokotsei's chest; the same hole that was made generations ago. Ryokotsei let out a loud yell and streams of curses as he was sealed into the same cliff he had just been awoken from._

_The battle was finished, and Itsumaru proved to be victorious. Sesshomaru walked over to his now untransformed father to see if he needed help rising, but Itsumaru rose on his own. His attention was turned towards Ukimara who had already started to walk away, "Sister" he began. _

_She paused and held her ear to his direction. A kind and worried look was in his eyes, "your wounds are serious…" he continued, "…My allies should be here soon, they will be able to wrap your injuries for you" he spoke almost pleadingly._

_She had an angry look on her face when she turned around, "Don't make the mistake of assuming that we are allies. I didn't ask for your assistance, and as far as I'm concerned I didn't need it" she started to glow in a light of blue, and disappeared from the battle scene leaving Sesshomaru and Itsumaru to look on._

__________________________________

"Those injuries he received fighting Ryokotsei are what killed him in the end. That smug bastard died because he decided to save his _little sister_" she shook her head angrily. Retelling the story only served in enraging her all over again, "In a way we got along as well as you and your brother, I suppose"

"It wasn't your fault" Inuyasha spoke up after hearing the entire tale.

"No, it was. I don't fool myself with sentimentality" Ukimara shook off the anger she had and looked at Inuyasha, "Back to my point, your father knew that after he saved me I would need to have some way of ridding away this feeling of debt I had. It drove me crazy, but unbeknownst to me he found a way"

"How's that?"

"He sent your brother to me" she smirked, "You see, Itsumaru told Totosai to relay a message to Sesshomaru. Acting under your father's orders, Totosai told Sesshomaru I knew the whereabouts of the Tetsaiga. Your brother came to me for weeks" she smiled at the memory, "I told him he was too weak to even control the Tetsaiga, and that he would only come to rely on its power. That didn't sit to well with him. The next day he asked me that if he was powerful enough to control the Tetsaiga would I give him the answers he sought, and I agreed. As soon as I agreed he asked me to train him. Of course, I was furious because I knew it was your father's plan. I pieced it together. Totosai and the others aren't hard to read"

"But you agreed?"

"Not at first, but your brother was so persistent in coming that I caved in. I figured you deserved the same treatment your brother had" she started to cough as she spoke, "I was so consumed with training your brother I would leave him in bandages practically every night. I think I thought that the stronger I made him the less I would owe Itsumaru." a look of regret fell on her face, "There were days were he could barely stand from his exhaust, and there were times he almost died fighting" she looked up at Inuyasha, "It wasn't all fighting though. I taught him as much as I could about different herbs, demons, what to watch out for, and what each was capable of. He is very intelligent for a reason. In the end Sesshomaru became my best and most prominent student. He hasn't passed my our Itsumaru's strength yet, but I'm confident that he will one day"

She started to cough deeper and deeper until she laid down coughing on the floor. "Are you okay?" Inuyasha asked.

She nodded between coughs, "Inuyasha…there's a cave north of the border of the Dogs Lands….Take me there….And tell Haiku where I am"

He looked at her. Was she getting sick again, "Now?"

She coughed angrily "YES!" she yelled. He quickly lifted her up and followed her directions to the cave to the north.

Inuyasha wasn't stupid though. Yes she gave him many answers; enough to fulfill him for now, but she avoided one. Ukimara must have assumed he wouldn't notice, but he did. There was something wrong with Ukimara and she didn't want to talk about it or she didn't want him to know.

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**Whoa that was a long chapter to write, but now we know a little about Ukimara's past. She really is one of my favorite characters. **

**So, im praying that this chapter will persuade many others to review. It isn't hard, just write me a littler something. PLEASE!!! FOR THE LOVE OF SESSHOMARU, PLEASE REVIEW!!!**

**That being said, thanks to everyone who does review. You guys are awesome. It really means a lot to me, especially when I write my next chapters. I hope everyone you reads this story is liking it. I'll try to get the next chapter up soon.**

**PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!**

**Much Love,**

**Merky15**


	9. Crossfire

**Crossfire**

Inuyasha arrived at the cave Ukimara described a short while ago. By Haiku's orders, Inuyasha waited outside. Haiku seemed calm enough, so Inuyasha decided that it was best not to argue the situation. He stood leaning against the cave wall. His leg was subconsciously tapping.

Haiku finally exited the cave. He gave Inuyasha an encouraging smile, "You did well to bring her here"

The rain had finally stopped and the sky was clear of most clouds, besides a small remaining few. The moon was in full view high above. Inuyasha looked at the older dog demon, "What exactly is wrong with her?"

"It is quite a long story young Inuyasha…" Haiku smiled trying to change the subject, "but all you need to know is that she is okay now" he placed his hand on Inuyasha's back in an attempt to usher him away.

Inuyasha had enough of being kept out of the loop. His fists tightened in anger. He would now what was going on right now, "Then make time to tell me…" he debated whether or not he should finish his thought before he spoke, " I'm her nephew! I think I have a right to know!"

"_So," _the old dog thought, "_He figured it out" _

Haiku sighed before turning to Inuyasha, "That you do…"

He looked ahead at the night sky. Choosing his words carefully Haiku spoke, "Many years ago, when Lord Ukimara was still a child, a shadow demon by the name of Shiomi-Metsu attacked the Dog Demons Lands. He fought with the past Great Dog Lord and lost, but before the last strike was made Shiomi-Metsu made one last desperate move. He flew into the body of Lord Ukimara"

"Why the hell would he do that?" Inuyasha blurted out.

"To stay alive" Haiku smiled at the innocence of Inuyasha or perhaps his ignorance, "He believed that he could posses the child, but her will was much too strong. If Shiomi- Metsu didn't send his soul into Lord Ukimara he would have been killed. Unfortunately, no one was able to separate his spirit from Lord Ukimara. So, every now and then his soul will build up enough strength to try to take control of her body"

"Has he ever succeeded?"

Haiku laughed "Of course not, but Lord Ukimara still gets very ill around that time. It takes all her strength to keep him dormant inside her. By, the end of the week she will be back to herself, but until then she needs to stay hidden and regain her rest"

Inuyasha looked back at the cave. He heard Haiku's words, but something inside him told him he should stay. Haiku smiled knowing what Inuyasha was thinking, "Don't worry I will take good care of her, I always do. Oh, and it would be wise to keep all of this information to yourself. It wouldn't be good if it got out to her enemies" Haiku took the amulet off of Inuyasha's neck with a kind hearted smile.

He nodded at Haiku. He knew exactly what he meant. When the new moon was out Inuyasha had no demonic powers. Ukimara was just as vulnerable, and no one needed to know about her condition. Something dawned on Inuyasha. He understood why Ukimara harped on him for only relying on his demonic strength; there were times when Ukimara was weak and vulnerable too.

_______________________________

Inuyasha walked over to the tree he had left Kirara sleeping under earlier that day. She opened her eyes to see him walking to her. A kind meow escaped her. Inuyasha smiled at the small cat and looked up to see Neru throwing rocks into the lake from the top of the tree. An angry pout was on the pups lips. "Hey, Neru" Inuyasha called. He quickly noticed that Neru ignored his comment , "What are you doing?" he tried again.

"Throwing rocks, obviously" Neru spoke annoyed at Inuyasha's question.

"What's your problem?" Inuyasha looked at the small child while folding his arms.

"You are, if you must know" he answered shortly. Inuyasha jumped up to the tree Neru was in, "What did I do?"

"Heh, as if you don't know" he threw another rock into the lake.

"Obviously I don't if I'm asking idiot!" he yelled in annoyance. Neru dropped his handful of rocks and looked at Inuyasha, "YOU DITCHED ME TO HANG OUT WITH SOME GIRLS!!!" he turned back to look at the lake, "You know why I like Lord Sesshomaru? He never tells me to get lost, or says that I'm annoying"

"SO WHAT!!!" Inuyasha began, "HE NEVER SAYS ANYTHING!!!"

"Whatever" he turned away angrily, "I'm used to being alone anyways" the pup sighed, "I'm an orphan after all. Master Ukimara was the one that took me in" he looked at Inuyasha "She practically raised me since I was three"

Inuyasha waited a few seconds before speaking, "I didn't abandon you, okay? I just got caught up in doing something…I shouldn't have brushed you away like that" he looked away uncomfortable with the conversation.

Neru sighed with a small smirk, "That's okay"

Inuyasha looked up at the moon, "And you shouldn't say that you're alone. You have people who care about you and that's enough"

Neru looked at Inuyasha, who was still looking at the moon, and smiled. He jumped on top of Inuyasha squeezing the half demon, "YOU'RE THE GREATEST!"

"GET THE HELL OFF OF ME!!!" Inuyasha stood up on the branch. He grabbed the back of Neru's kimono in an attempt to pull him off, but Neru had dug his claws into Inuyasha's robe.

A loud boom was heard and Inuyasha and Neru both placed their attention to the direction it came from. "What was that?" Neru asked climbing off Inuyasha, "It came from the village"

"I don't know" Inuyasha gritted his teeth at the sound and started off towards the sound. Neru's face matched Inuyasha's as he followed after him...

___________________________

There was a commotion from the demon village. Inuyasha looked on confused as to what was going on. There was what looked like an uproar and the demons from Ukimara's village were preparing for battle. Inuyasha looked around for a familiar face, and saw Sesshomaru in the middle of the commotion. Sesshomaru was calmly staring at something in the sky, but there was still anger in his eyes. Inuyasha followed his brother's gaze and saw what appeared to be a trail of smoke in the sky. Inuyasha's eyes slanted in thought, "_Someone must have sent a type of rocket at the lands_"

Inuyasha pushed through the crowd towards his brother to question him, but before he could reach him Sesshomaru glowed in a brilliant blue light and left; following the trail of smoke in the sky. "Wait Sesshomaru!!!" Inuyasha yelled, but his brother was long gone.

"Inuyasha!!!" Teshara called out. She was frantically running over to the half demon. Inuyasha looked at the familiar faces of Teshara and Setzuki. "What's going on?" he asked. Setzuki answered, "Isn't it obvious? Someone sent a rocket at us, our tribe is in an uproar because of it"

Teshara nodded, "Yeah, and Neither Lord Ukimara or Master Haiku are anywhere to be found"

Inuyasha looked back at the trail in the sky. He had more than an idea of where they were, and Master Ukimara needed to know what was going on, "I see" he turned to leave.

"Where are you going?" Neru asked, pulling on the half bread's robe.

Inuyasha looked down, "To find Master Ukimara"

Setzuki nodded, "That might be a good idea, the troops need to be rallied, and we can't afford to wait for Master Ukimara to come to us"

Teshara held her chin and spoke in a sad tone, "At least if Lord Sesshomaru were here he could help in leading the troops, but he left to find the source. I guess that was a good idea too thought, but everyone's in a panic"

"Look!!!" Inuyasha yelled, "I can handle this better than that bastard, okay?"

"No ones doubting that Inuyasha" Setzuki spoke, starting to get annoyed with this sibling rivalry, "But right now, you need to go find Master Ukimara, remember?"

Inuyasha bit back the remainder of his anger. Why the hell did everyone respect his brother so much anyways? But he had a job to do and he couldn't afford to get distracted, "I'll be back in a few minutes" he spoke and he began to hop off to where he had left his aunt last.

____________________________________

**There you go, that's the next chapter…even though I only got two reviews last chapter. Can you please just comment after you read this? I know there are lots of people who read this story. So please send a review my way. Good Karma to those who do. **

**Anyways, I love where this story is going, and if you're a Sesshomaru fan, don't worry. I know he hasn't been in the story as much as we would want, but you'll be happy in the following chapters. Isn't Sesshomaru the best?**

**Okay all, Much Love,**

**Merky15**


	10. The Attackers

**The Attackers **

Inuyasha quickly ran through the forest in order to find his _new_ aunt, Ukimara. He looked straight to his front in full concentration at the task at hand. It was imperative that Ukimara knew what was taking place at her lands.

He stopped his sprinting when the cave was in view. He quickly hopped up to it, and entered. Before anyone came into view he heard the sound of voices. He immediately recognized them as belonging to Ukimara and Haiku. He stopped when the two came into view.

Ukimara was trying to rise, with little success, and Haiku was doing his best to convince her to stop and rest. "It is in everyone's best interest if you stay here my Lord" the older dog spoke with worry in his expression. Ukimara shook her head at this, "No, it is my task to stop these invaders"

After much struggling she managed to rise; pushing her weight on her spear. Inuyasha stared at her. She was quite talented at masking her emotions. If anyone else were to see her expression they would never know that it was hard for her to stand, but he knew better. He saw her mass amount of bandages, and the flashing markings on her face. He saw her body shake and the immense amount of sweat that covered her bangs. Inuyasha's body tensed as Ukimara turned to face him, "What news do you bring, Inuyasha?"

He blinked at her, "What?" he began in protest, "Are you, are you going to go out there?"

"What?" she shot back angrily, "Do you expect something else? I am the leader, am I not? Now, what news do you bring?" her words were harsh, but she hated being thought of as less than anyone because of her disorder. Inuyasha's ears laid flat against his head for a few seconds. He understood why she was angry and decided to ignore it. He hoped that after hearing the news she would realize that leaving wouldn't be in anyone's best interest, "Someone attacked the village. Sesshomaru left after them"

He was wrong her anger only increased at these words. "He left?" she growled lowly. He nodded, "Yeah, but isn't that a good thing? I mean, he went to stop the one who attacked"

She began to take steps foreword, "Don't be foolish, he…" she began to cough loudly again. She doubled over. The wave of pain came again. Her mind began to race, "_not now, not now"_

She looked up after a few seconds and saw that she had fallen into Inuyasha's arms. He placed her back down to the floor. She didn't fight it. She knew she was being reckless, and she silently accepted it. It would be foolish if she continued. She couldn't lead her people into battle, and if she had the results would be anything but good. She let these thoughts pass through her mind before she looked up at her youngest nephew, "Inuyasha, I need your help"

He nodded, "Tell me what to do"

She looked ahead as she spoke, "Someone has hired the Shin-obi to fight against us"

"Those robed guys from before?"

She nodded, "It happened the other day…"

_________________________________________

_Sesshomaru stared at the three robed men in front of him. He had just spoken to Ukimara regarding them, and she had said to send them her way. It didn't feel right. A strange intuition told him that these three were not to be trusted. Then again it could be that he didn't like the fact that he couldn't see their faces, he couldn't read their eyes. _

_The three stood in front of Ukimara's palace as Sesshomaru stared them down, sending intimidation without making any threats. It wasn't his lands and he had no right to send them away. His aunt had wanted to speak with these men for some reason, and he would honor her request. Her voice called to him, "Send them in Sesshomaru"_

_Everything in him told him this was a bad idea. She was in no condition to examine potential enemies. What if they could sense her weakness? She wasn't at her worst but she was far from being her best. He knew why she wanted to see them. She didn't want to look weak. Both sending them away and meeting them were bad options, but she made her choice._

_Sesshomaru stepped to the side at his aunt's words and the three entered. Sesshomaru followed behind them. He didn't sit well with having potential enemies facing his back, and he allowed his hand to fall against his Tokijin's hilt. _

_Ukimara sat in a cross legged position sipping tea as the four entered. The three robed men gave her bows of respect. She ignored them and spoke, "You wished to have my audience and you have it. Tell me what it is you want"_

_The first man spoke, "You waste no time to get to business my Lord"_

_He had a young voice. One that sounded a little too conceited. Ukimara immediately recognized the demons smug attitude. She noted this but said nothing of it, "I have no time to waste" she placed her tea down in order to examine the demons with full attention, "I hear the Shin-Obi are very secretive demons. They train away in the mountains in order to learn their respective abilities. When they reach a certain age they leave to master their abilities on their own before returning. In order to do so they will sometimes take the task as demon hands for hire. I can only assume that is why you three are here"_

_The first man gave a small grunt in amusement. He had heard stories that Ukimara was a very wise demon, "You are quite correct my Lord. That is exactly why we've arrived"_

"_Then I will inform you that your services are not required"_

_The man gave another grunt of amusement. This demon aggravated Sesshomaru. He couldn't help but want to rip off his head along with that aggravating hood of his. The demon continued, "Is that so? Perhaps it would be better if I explained. You see it __would __be in your best interest to hire us for your defenses. You never know when another demon clan will attack"_

_Sesshomaru glared at the man, "Is that a threat?"_

_The first demon's attention didn't leave Ukimara as he answered, "No, don't be ridiculous Lord Sesshomaru, but one never knows when such a thing could happen. We are hired by many demon lords throughout the lands. Among are travels one fact always rings true…"_

_Ukimara looked at the man in front of her. She knew what he was talking about. He waited a second to examine Ukimara before he continued, "…More money is made when the threat levels are high"_

"_Is that so?" Ukimara asked plainly, "And you think that are threat levels are high?"_

_The demon shrugged in a sarcastic fashion, "Well I wouldn't know Lord Ukimara. Are there clans who would anonymously hire the Shin-Obi to attack you?"_

_A smirk landed on her face as she rose, "I see what you're getting at. Now, let me explain something to you" she took a step closer to the demon as she spoke, "I do not respond well to coercion. Go, search for a clan that will hire you to attack, but I promise it will be hard to find one. I am much, much more intimidating than you can hope to be"_

"_Is that so?" his cocky voice was there again, and this time he wasn't trying to mask it. This time he was showing that when it came to Ukimara, he had no fear. The man stepped forward, "If that is your wish my lord, but let me assure you that anyone can be persuaded. All it takes is a little greed on their part and a little reassurance on mine"_

_Ukimara smirked at this. She was used to his type. She had seen this attitude for many generations. At the young age when a demon's power starts to emerge they tend to give arrogance a whole new meaning. It was foolish and was what led many to death. "Let me assure you…" Ukimara began, "should you attack you will be the first to die. There is no doubt in my mind to this fact"_

_The demon bowed to Ukimara, "As I said my Lord, the choice is yours, and I will respect it either way" _

_The demon turned to leave and the other two followed, "Until our next meeting" he casually called back to the two dogs. Sesshomaru followed the three out the door. He wouldn't hesitate to kill them if he had to, and Ukimara was confident in that._

_________________________________

"They must have found payment in attacking. They sent that missal to lure Sesshomaru away, and they must know that I am not near the clan. This means that our defenses are weakened" Ukimara turned to look at Inuyasha, who was letting it all sink in, "Sesshomaru was reckless. When he gets like this all he can concentrate on is the task at hand" Ukimara finished.

"What does that have to do with me?" Inuyasha asked anxiously. An ironic smile fell over the weak looking Ukimara, "So eager to prove yourself" she spat to herself. Everyone had always said that Sesshomaru was so similar to her, but she was starting to see some of herself in her youngest nephew as well. Constantly at a battle with himself, constantly trying to prove that he was just as good as the demon ahead of him, constantly having to fight in order to prove this, yes, she was all too familiar with it all. She was also the younger sibling to a powerful demon. She returned to the matter at hand, "The Shin-Obi will attack soon, and you must accompany Haiku in order to defend my lands" she turned to look at the young demon, "Can you handle this? Yes or No?"

He gave her a fierce nod, "I will, but who will protect you?"

She gave a small chuckle at this. It sounded small in her weakened state, "Protect? I believe that I am strong enough to protect myself"

Haiku shook his head, "I believe young Inuyasha is correct. We don't know what the Shin-Obi know. They may be aware of your condition and know where you are. I alone know how to care for you while you're in this state" Haiku turned to the younger dog, "Young Inuyasha, can you handle protecting the lands on you own?"

He looked down for a moment. He could fight no problem, but he hadn't forgotten the fact that most of the tribe hated him. What would they think? Knowing how demons are, they would probably take it as an insult and possibly get angry at Ukimara. She spoke roughly at him, "Yes or No?"

His fierce nod returned, "I will, but…"

"But nothing. You are a weakling Inuyasha compared to the standards that I expect you to reach, but you are not weak. Go protect the clan Inuyasha"

He wasn't expecting that. Was his aunt actually giving him a complement? Since when did she become the nice guy? Then he realized something. His aunt did have the families inherited temper, that was a given, but that wasn't the end to who she was. He realized why everyone had respected her so much. He realized why everyone in the tribe held her in such a high respect. She was powerful, wise, fierce, and above all she was a companionate leader. Hell, his aunt had a nice side to her. Inuyasha rose from kneeling at Ukimara's side and headed to the exit, "Haiku?"

The old man walked towards Inuyasha with a kind smile, "Yes Young Inuyasha?"

"Take care of her. I'll return when this is all over"

"Don't worry about Lord Ukimara. Concentrate at the task at hand. I have everything under control here"

Inuyasha listened to Haiku's words and turned to head back towards the clan. Sesshomaru was going to be busy searching out the demons of the Shin-Obi, and it was now up to Inuyasha to protect the remainder of the dog demon clan. How could he rally the troops when most of them hated him? He pondered this question as he headed back towards the village.

_____________________________________

**Yeah, I really like Ukimara. She's so bad ass. Kay I really appreciate the comments I'm getting. I hesitate to say this because whenever I do, the next chapter doesn't receive any reviews. So, please don't jinx me. I'm even gonna knock on wood *Insert knocking noise***

**I'll try to get the next chapter up soon. PLEASE REVIEW!!!**

**Thanks, Much Love,**

**Merky15**


	11. Fire and Force Fields

**Fire and Force fields **

The scent was close by. Sesshomaru recognized it immediately as the scent of the leader of the Shin-Obi group. He moved swiftly, but making sure not to break a sweat in doing so. He needed to attack the Shin-Obi before Ukimara decided to. He knew that she would most likely try to defend her lands right now, but the idea was reckless and pointless.

He knew how her condition had left her, which was one of the reasons why he hadn't left. Every so often Ukimara would fight to preserve her control over the shadow demon that inhabited her body, and the pain would last for a few days. Ukimara must have known this to be the reason why he had stayed for as long as he had, and this angered her. She was a very proud demon and hated being thought of as less than she was. That was why she wouldn't let anyone know of her condition.

Most of the demons who were aware of it had died out, and the ones who were alive didn't speak of it. In fact the only ones who were blatantly aware of it where Haiku and himself, and more recently his annoying half breed brother.

As soon as that Inuyasha came to receive training Sesshomaru knew that she would except, despite being in no condition for it. Yet, Sesshomaru knew that broadcasting the fact of her limitations would only anger her. He had no choice but to delay his task of finding Naraku and watch over her. Then when the Shin-Obi came, his instincts told him not to trust them and his stay increased.

When she left in the early morning to take Inuyasha on his training he knew she was in no condition to do so. He was right, she over estimated her abilities and couldn't continue. Surprisingly, it was Inuyasha who saved Ukimara. Sesshomaru figured it out simply by breathing in the scents of the area (an ability he perfected from his training with Ukimara).

It was enough, he knew she was safe and that she was now with Haiku. There was no need to see to her health since he was already aware of it, but now there was a task ahead of him. He needed to destroy the vermin who dared challenge him. He wanted to kill the fool since the first day he laid eyes on him, and he needed to do this before Ukimara decided to get involved.

He landed gracefully a short distance away from the source of the scent. He walked towards its origins. The scent came from higher ground, perhaps in the trees?

He stopped when he came to an empty space in the forest. He looked up to a specific tree. There was no one there, but the source of the scent came from that very spot. He withdrew the Tokijin as he stared at the tree. He learned to perfect his senses from a very young age, and learned that in battle your eyes could sometimes be deceiving. A blast escaped the sword's blade and traveled towards the tree.

Sesshomaru watched the scene intently. The Dragon Strike hit something, but it wasn't the tree. There was something there. "_A barrier_" his eyes slanted down as he watched the scene. The barrier was starting to dissolve in his sword's intensity.

"HEY!" a voice broke out. Sesshomaru watched as the barrier broke and a thump landed at the base of the tree. Something started to come into view. Slowly the image of a person became visible.

The black hood was pulled down to reveal a young looking women as the culprit. She sat rubbing her head as if it had previously hit the ground. Both of her legs were completely out stretched and one hand fell to the middle of them both.

Sesshomaru took a step closer to the girl with his Tokijin pointed in her direction. The girl looked at the demon ahead of her with her large red eyes. She stared for a few seconds. She noticed Sesshomaru's glare tighten on her, "…Hold on…" she pointed meekly at the dog demon, "…you're not suppose to…"

She looked down at herself with a gasp and quickly jumped away from the weapon, "You weren't suppose to see me…" she pouted, "Guess your swords stronger than I thought. It broke the illusion I made"

Sesshomaru hadn't recognized the voice. "_So_" he thought "_It isn't him_"

The demon girl continued to rub the back of her head in annoyance. Her mid-length brown hair was a mess as it fell loose, and two small pony tails stuck out on either side. Her disposition was already annoying the demon lord, she acted as if he wasn't here, "I have no time for you" he started, "Where is your leader?"

The demon girl snapped out of her daze and looked at his serious expression. A dangerous smirk fell on her face as she shook her finger, "Now, now, I'm not suppose to tell you that"

"Is that so?" he spoke lazily, "Then you are of no use to me" another blast was sent the demon's way. The girl placed her hands out and a type of barrier was made. She retracted her hands and stepped away to her left. When she was safely out of the way she made another gesture with her hands and the barrier was gone. Tokijin's blast missed her altogether. "_So"_ Sesshomaru thought, "_She can hold barriers at her will"_

"Nice try" the girl smiled, "But I'm stronger than I look" she gave a type of curtsy to the Dog Lord, "My Name's Namika. I am an appreciation of the Shin-Obi"

He memorized this girl's scent, and no it wasn't the scent of the leader. So, she lured him away with her superior's scent, "Where is your leader" Sesshomaru asked shortly, in the tone that demanded an answer.

"Isn't it obvious?" she looked at him as if he was stupid for not knowing, "He's back at the Dog Clan. I'm here to stop you"

"Is that so?" he spoke in a bored fashion, before sending a blast her way with his Tokijin.

Namika quickly flipped out of the way. She looked at the Dragon Strike's aftermath with a look of shock and terror, "…Wow…you're deadly aren't you…?" she shook off her fear and looked back his way, "No matter, so am I"

________________________________________________

Inuyasha left the cave where Ukimara was and rushed towards the Dog Demon Clan. If Ukimara was right then the Shin-Obi would be starting there attack on the clan. He couldn't help but wonder what they wanted. They couldn't believe that they were strong enough to take on an entire demon clan, could they? Was it something particular that they wanted?

While running Inuyasha made out a strange type of whistling sound. His instincts told him to step back, and he did. A large type of missal landed in front of him. The blast's wave sent Inuyasha back a few feet.

The half demon stood up and stared at the blasts origins. When the smoke cleared, the image of a robust man came into view. The man had a deep voice, and was chuckling to himself, "I forget you dogs got yourself keen instincts" the man held a type of cannon on his shoulders. He took a step closer to the growling dog, "It's rather annoying, but all its gonna do is prolong your death for a bit longer"

"You?" Inuyasha started, "You're one of those bastards from the Shin-Obi"

The man chuckled. The smoke had now cleared, and the hooded pulled down his hood to show green eyes and short spiked dark brown hair. He had rugged features, but still looked pretty young. "So…" he started, "You've gone and figured it out, huh?"

"What the hell are you doing here anyway?"

"Sorry kid, I can't release that information. Top Secret and what not" the cannon on his shoulder shot out another missal. Inuyasha quickly jumped out of range. "Stop your squirming around!" the man yelled.

The man's eyes widened when the smoke cleared a large blast was heading his way, "_So…"_ he thought, "_That there's the Wind Scar"_

The man quickly moved out of the way in time. When the blast had subsided he called to Inuyasha announcing his presence, "Ain't bad Inuyasha. I was hoping you would be some type of challenge"

"So, you heard of me?"

"The Shin-Obi make a habit of learning all we can about an enemy before attacking. You're Ukimara's youngest nephew, and you got yourself a shinny friend"

"Heh…" Inuyasha scoffed, "The Tetsaiga isn't the only thing you should worry about"

The man laughed, "Is that right? The almighty half-breed's gonna slay me where I stand, huh?" he took a step closer, "Well you might as well know the name of the one you're gonna up and kill. My names Riokoe, Explosion tactician and apparition of the Shin-Obi"

"I don't give a damn who you are. You're gonna pay for coming here"

"That so? Well you better hurry and bring it on dog boy"

Inuyasha charged at Riokoe, his Tetsaiga bared. Riokoe smiled at this and snapped his fingers. As soon as he did, explosions came from under the ground, hitting Inuyasha, "What the hell!?"

Riokoe laughed, "That was easier than I thought"

While in mid laugh an image of red came crashing in front of him. Riokoe quickly jumped away. When he was safely away he that it was Inuyasha. His claws bared at Riokoe.

Riokoe's calm expression left. Inuyasha's claws had made small contact on his face, and he felt the blood drip down, "How the hell ate you still alive? You got caught in the crossfire of my explosion"

Inuyasha was slightly bruised up but nothing serious, "What's the matter Riokoe? You don't look as confident as before?"

The Shin-Obi member chuckled to himself, "Don't let your luck rush to your head. I won't miss the next time"

___________________________________

Namika's barriers came in handy. Whenever Sesshomaru would try to attack her, her barrier would block. "Come on" she sighed while Sesshomaru's whip also proved ineffective, "You're not going to break through. Just give up…this is getting boring"

He didn't answer her, and gracefully landed a few feet away from her. Her strength was nothing, he assumed. It was her defense that was getting on his nerves. She specialized in forming illusions and barriers. If he found a way to break through her insufferable barrier, he would be able to more than easily finish her off. His glare tightened on the girl.

She blinked at this, "What? You look like you figured something out" she was slightly worried by this, but played it off well.

When pulling straws she got the job of dealing with Sesshomaru, which wasn't the favored task. She knew how deadly he was, and his deadly silence was very unsettling. Why couldn't she get the job of killing the half-breed? But no, she really had no luck. Of course she'd get stuck with killing the deadly older brother. "Look" she smiled, "You can't win. You might be stronger than me, but my defense is…"

Sesshomaru sent another blast from his Tokijin her way, while she was in mid sentence. This took her off guard, but she was able to make a barrier in time. When the blast subsided, she stood with a shocked expression. Her eyes twitched a little, "What…the…hell…?"

When her heart beat started to return to normal spped, she looked at the scene in front of her. Something was wrong…Where was Sesshomaru? He wasn't anywhere around. Her body froze in fear when a familiar voice caught her ear. "It is over for you"

Namika slowly turned around to see the cold glare of Sesshomaru. Before she had time to move, a blast from Tokijin was sent her way. She let out a loud scream as the Dragon Strike engulfed her.

Sesshomaru placed his Tokijin back at his side. He looked back at the direction of the Demon Clan. The girl had said that the leader was going to attack, but he couldn't pick up the vermin's scent. He surveyed the area and picked up a familiar scent a small ways off. It wasn't of the Shin-Obi leader, but it was of another member of the Shin-Obi. The smell of fire and gunpowder accompanied him, along with the scent of Inuyasha. His best bet of finding the leader would be to find this Shin-Obi member first. He began to walk towards this scent. He would put an end to this.

________________________________________

**So, there's two more members of the Shin-Obi to finish off. I kind of feel bad for Namika, I thought she was funny…oh well she shouldn't be messing with Sess.**

**Okay I know I always say this but, please review. PLEASE REVIEW!!!**

**Doing so will inspire me to write the next chapter sooner…**

**Thanks to everyone whose reading and reviewing, you rock!!!**

**Much Love,**

**Merky15**


	12. True Motives

JLP- Thanks for reading and sending comments, and don't worry your English really isn't that bad. I just want to set the record straight, that I don't think Inuyasha is an incompetent idiot. Although, he is a tad dense. I agree that it must have been hard for him growing up and that's what really made him as strong as he is now. That being said you need to remember that he is a half demon, because of this many demons are going to be seeing him as less than he is. This is why most of the demons in the clan treat him badly, and also because he's Itsumaru's son.

As for treating Sesshomaru as a God. Well the dog demon tribe looks up to him. He's kinda like their idol. The sequel I'm writing will explain this a little better, (It's awesome). Although, I admit that I am partial to him…

Inuyasha's mom: I agree she must have been a strong women. She had to be, raising a half demon and all. She had to deal with a lot of crap, I'm sure. I wouldn't go as far as saying she had spiritual powers though. I do know that she was very wealthy, prior to falling in love with the Dog Lord.

You comment all the time and I love it!!! I'd send this to your email but you don't have one, so I just wanted you to know that I do read your comments and they are appreciated. Thanks for reading the story.

Now here's the much anticipated next chapter…

**True Motives**

Riokoe sent another blast Inuyasha's way, and while he managed to dodge them he would still get struck with the blast's waves. "Come on kid" Riokoe laughed, "Just stand still for five seconds"

"Like hell I will" he dodged another blast. This was starting to get complicated, "_How the hell do I hit this bastard? He's fast and keeps dodging my Wind Scar._ _He's only attacking me with explosives so I can't use my Backlash Wave either"_

He dodged another blast. "_My Robe of the Fire Rat will protect me from any serious explosion, but the problem is landing a hit…"_

"Ain't you getting bored of this?" Riokoe sighed, "Runnin' away like that, I thought you were a dog not a damn rabbit"

"Oh shut up!" Inuyasha yelled back, "Why don't you come down and fight me instead of hiding behind your explosives?"

Riokoe let out a hardy laugh, "What? You think you can handle me on one on one combat? You've got to kidding kid" he let his sleeve fall back and he flexed one of his arms, "You see that?" he smiled, "Pure muscle"

Riokoe placed his rocket launcher on his back, on some kind of strap. "I'll be nice" he jumped off of the tree, "I won't use my weapon to kick your ass"

"I don't give a damn what you want to use. I'll kill you despite it"

"Tough words for such a little man" he laughed.

Inuyasha growled at the demon. There was something wrong here. Riokoe wouldn't have put his weapon away so easily, no he had something up his sleeve…besides his muscles.

"Let's do it" Riokoe smiled. He ran towards Inuyasha with his fists. Inuyasha jumped out of the way, and saw the fist break through the ground. Great, he was fast and strong.

Riokoe jumped towards Inuyasha with another fist ready. This time Riokoe's fist landed in Inuyasha's chest, but there was something wrong. It wasn't an ordinary fist. There was a heat building up. Inuyasha realized why Riokoe was so confident. He was not helpless without his weapon, he had developed other types of abilities.

The heat on Inuyasha's stomach was building up. Riokoe smiled, "Good bye Half-breed"

A large explosion came from out of Riokoe's arm and into Inuyasha's stomach. "_Dammit" _Inuyasha thought right before the blast took effect, "_He can create explosions from his own body…"_

Riokoe landed with his back towards the large explosion. His eyes were closed with a smile, "What the hell did you think I meant by being an explosion apparition? We Shino-Obi all have powerful skills, but I suppose you learned that a little too late, huh?"

Riokoe dusted some ash off of his shoulder with an arrogant smirk. He turned to start heading off when a voice stopped him, "What you getting so cocky about Riokoe? That's probably the biggest mistake you could make, going around thinking you're tougher than you actually are"

Riokoe didn't turn around right away. His eyes went from being wide with shock to being filled with anger. His thoughts began to race, _"How the hell is that little bastard alive? He withstood my cannons blast, but how the hell could he survive my own explosion?"_

Riokoe's face turned solemn as he turned around. Inuyasha stood only slightly banged up, and every appendage was in tact. "You're starting to be a real nuisance" Riokoe spoke, "Why aren't you dead?"

Inuyasha had a smug look as he spoke, "Why should I tell you?"

"So there is a reason" he spoke more to himself than to Inuyasha. Riokoe begam taking off his robe, revealing a very muscular and tan chest. "I believe I have dragged this on for long enough…"

"What?" Inuyasha started, "Is that supposed to scare me?"

"I care little as to how you're feelin' brat" he stood in a strange stance, "No one has ever survived this attack, and no half-breed will be an exception"

Inuyasha stood at the ready, his hands fisted on his weapon. He could feel that Riokoe was powering up, and he could smell heat surrounding Riokoe's body.

Riokoe began to let out a low roar as his body began to be covered in a bright orange light. The low roar grew louder as the aura surrounding him enhanced much higher.

Inuyasha watched the scene. Riokoe was powering up. Inuyasha's eyes slanted in thought, _"The last time I smelled this he sent an explosion into my stomach. Now the scents surrounding his body…Does that mean he's turning himself into a kind of explosive?"_

The energy that surrounded Riokoe reached the height of the trees, "Do you feel that kid?!" Riokoe asked, "That powers all coming from me!!! Your half demon power doesn't stand a chance!!!"

Inuyasha stared at Riokoe, _"The power's all coming from him? Does that mean…"_ he looked at the wind starting to surround the Tetsaiga, "_It's all his demonic energy…"_

Riokoe shot high up in the air, "WITNESS THE POWER OF RIOKOE'S ULTIMATE TECHNIQUE!!!"

When he reached a certain point in the sky, Inuyasha noticed that the large glowing mass was heading his way. When it made contact there would be a huge explosion, and not even his Robe would be able to withstand it.

Riokoe fell down faster and faster, closer and closer. His demonic energy was swarming. Inuyasha knew what the next step was. He cocked back the Tetsaiga. This was it, "BACKLASH WAVE!!!"

Riokoe was pushed back before impact was made. "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!!" he yelled. Not only was the power of the Tetsaiga heading his way, but also what felt like his own power. "IT CAN'T BE!!!" he yelled.

Inuyasha watched as a huge explosion was made in the sky, luckily Riokoe's aftermath only destroyed a few hundred trees and not the vast forest. Riokoe's screams faded out in the distance.

"Not bad for a half-breed, huh?" Inuyasha spoke while sheathing the Tetsaiga. He was damaged, but moving wasn't a problem.

"But what can a half-breed really accomplish?"

Inuyasha growled. He recognized the voice, "What are you doing here Sesshomaru?"

"Your ignorance is surprising" he spoke with his usual tone of superiority, "I thought it to be obvious"

Inuyasha sent an angry glare his brother's way and spoke in a low growl, "Who you calling ignorant you stuck up jackass?"

"Perhaps I should demonstrate my point" he unsheathed his Tokijin.

Inuyasha pulled out his Tetsaiga, "You wanna fight?" he growled.

A voice came a little ways away from the two brothers, "Perhaps this is a bad time…"

Inuyasha and Sesshomaru both turned to see Teshara. She looked embarrassed to have arrived during their small squabble. Sesshomaru quickly placed his Tokijin away in an elegant manner.

Standing next to Teshara was Setzuki and Neru. Inuyasha looked at the group dumbfounded, "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be protecting the village?"

Setzuki spoke, "We would be if there was something to protect it from"

Inuyasha looked serious, "What do you mean?"

Teshara continued, "No one has attacked the village since you and Lord Sesshomaru left"

"What?" Inuyasha began, "you serious…"

Neru's eyes widened at the scene of scorched trees, "No…Way… THIS IS AMAZING!!!"

Inuyasha looked at Neru and a smug smirk fell on his face. Someone was appreciating his power. Neru continued, "Wow!!! Look at all the damage!!! How'd you do it Lord Sesshomaru?"

Inuyasha almost fell over at Neru's comment. He slowly turned to Neru who was busy giving the indifferent Sesshomaru words of praise.

Inuyasha looked at the two, "WAIT!!! Hold up a minute…"

Setzuki cut him off, "Look, I'm sorry to break this up, but we don't have time to be dealing with this"

Sesshomaru looked over at Setzuki, "What are your thoughts on the matter?"

Inuyasha noted the polite way he treated Setzuki. The two must have had a mutual respect for one another. Setzuki honored him, and Sesshomaru must have respected her somewhat to treat her so civil, or maybe he just treated him like crap.

Setzuki continued, "I am not sure Lord Sesshomaru. Looking at this field I can assume that you have killed the one who attacked"

Sesshomaru looked to the side and almost gave a sigh when he spoke, "No, only two of the three have been killed" he looked back to the group, "The leader is still alive"

Teshara placed her fingers to her chin in thought, "Why would they draw the two of you away and once you were away not attack the grounds?"

Sesshomaru's eyes slanted down slightly in thought, "_Because the village wasn't the target" _Sesshomaru turned from the group and began to head through the forest in a quick pace.

"Wait Lord Sesshomaru!" Teshara called, but it was too late. Setzuki watched as he left, "He figured something out, but what?"

"Wait…" Inuyasha turned to the group, "When I was fighting Riokoe he said that he learned everything about an enemy before attacking…"

Neru tilted his head in a confused way, "Yeah, what does that have to do with anything?"

Inuyasha thought of Riokoe's words, "_The Shin-Obi make a habit of learning all we can about an enemy before attacking. You're Ukimara's youngest nephew…"_

His teeth gritted in agitation. He knew the answer. He knew why the Shin-Obi weren't attacking the village, "_The Demon Clan wasn't their target…They weren't hired to attack the Dog Demon Clan. They were hired for something else…"_

Inuyasha looked to the three dogs ahead of him, "Setzuki, take the others and go back to the village"

Setzuki uncrossed her arms, "Why? What do you know?"

"Just listen to me!!! There's a chance that the village will be under attack"

A worried expression fell on Teshara's face, "What about you?"

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine"

Neru stood at Inuyasha's side, "I'm going to" he stated firmly.

Inuyasha shook his head, "No Neru, I need you to stay and help protect the village"

A sigh escaped the small dog's lips, and he nodded, "I got it"

Inuyasha rushed through the forest in the same direction Sesshomaru had left. Setzuki watched as he disappeared in the distance . He knew what was going on, and while she wanted to force the information out of him, somehow she trusted Inuyasha's resolve. He may have been a half-demon, but he wasn't weak by any means. She turned around and headed back to the village, "Let's go" she spoke simply. Teshara and Neru followed behind.

Sesshomaru wasn't much farther than Inuyasha was, and judging by the direction he was headed Sesshomaru had the same idea that Inuyasha had. Inuyasha sprinted as hard as he could. He knew where the last member of the Shin-obi was. Now all he needed to know was how to stop him.

__________________________________________

**That was fun to write, and yes there's a cliffy here. I don't feel bad though. Don't most Inuyasha episodes leave you at cliff hangers? I'm just following in the Inuyasha spirit. **

**I'm getting a lot of people reading this one, and I really appreciate it. Now, if all those people could just send me a little review, I'd be the happiest Sesshomaru advocate alive.**

**Please send me a review and thanks to those who actually do. I promise to get the next chapter out soon if you guys promise to review, kay?**

**Thanks and Much Love,**

**Merky15**


	13. The Last of the Shinobi

**The Last of the Shin-obi **

Sesshomaru noticed that he wasn't alone in his pursuit. Inuyasha must have figured out where the last member of the Shin-obi was hiding, because Sesshomaru picked up his scent following in his same direction. Sesshomaru's eyes left from staring behind his shoulders and went to his front.

Inuyasha was the least of his concerns right now. All Inuyasha would prove to be was a nuisance. Especially considering the fact that Sesshomaru would have to do battle soon and Inuyasha wasn't one for standing down from an enemy. Inuyasha would most likely try to take away his prey. What's more, none of this was even Inuyasha's concern. He had just learned of his ties to Ukimara. Putting an end to the invaders fell into Sesshomaru's hands and his alone. He would kill them, and if Inuyasha interfered he would also put him in his place.

Sesshomaru continued to concentrate on the task at hand. He picked up a familiar scent and knew his destination was close. He quickened his speed as he gracefully glided ahead.

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Inuyasha pushed on as hard as he could. There was no way he would let Sesshomaru make it there before he did. This was his battle as far as he was concerned, and not Sesshomaru's. Ukimara had given him the duty of protecting the clan, and if he recalled she said that Sesshomaru wasn't in the right mind to be dealing with this. Yes, this was definitely his battle, and Sesshomaru would just have to deal with it. He knew that Sesshomaru wouldn't see it that way though. If he knew his brother, he would try to take the kill and take the glory for himself.

Inuyasha growled at his thoughts. He didn't have time to deal with Sesshomaru. Why couldn't Sesshomaru just stand down? Somehow he heard Kagome's voice in the back of his head saying, "_Just work with your brother, Inuyasha_"

He must have missed everyone more than he thought to be thinking of Kagome's words. He let out an aggravated "Humph" and continued in running. He might have just learned about Ukimara, but he still had just as much of a right to defeat the Shin-obi as Sesshomaru did. Those thoughts ran through his head as he pushed onward. He picked up the scent of the location to be just ahead a little ways. "_Sesshomaru must be close_"

________________________________________

A man stood on a large tree on the outskirts of a large cave. He wore a black hood, and stared at the full moon above. The clouds had covered most of it, but the moon's light somehow broke out anyway.

He smirked to himself with a sigh. "So…they've died…"

He took another few seconds to stare at the sky above. "Riokoe, Namika…" he pictured their faces as he spoke, "It will not be in vain…"

He smiled to himself again, "I will carry out the remainder of our mission"

He quickly disappeared from the tree and arrived at the front of the cave. His target was inside, and from his own accounts he knew that she was vulnerable. He would have no trouble in killing the weakened dog. He would kill Ukimara.

_________________________________________

Ukimara's eyes opened as she forced herself up with a series of violent coughs. Haiku looked towards her, "Lord Ukimara, you should not be rising"

"…No…" she spoke in between coughs, "…I've waited…long enough…"

Haiku looked towards the path that led to the cave's exit. He knew why Ukimara was so uneasy all of a sudden. Her senses may have been down, but her intuition was still intact. Someone was outside of the cave. He looked back to the coughing lord, "Stay here. You need your rest my Lord"

"…No…" she coughed again, "They have taken too long…"

Ukimara reached for her spear in an attempt to pull herself up. Haiku knew she was referring to her nephews. She was not only worried about her land, but about the two of them as well. He also knew that Ukimara, while she was getting uneasy, was unaware that someone was just outside.

Haiku rose. The intruder was taking his time. Did he have something planned? "I have faith in the two of them" Haiku spoke, "You should as well. Did you not train the brothers?"

Ukimara gave up on trying to rise, and stayed sitting as she watched Haiku. "Don't patronize me. You are aware as much as I am that the two of them, despite having my training, are far quicker to act then to think. Honestly, were do those fools get it from?"

At this time Haiku would have usually made a comment about how it was in their blood line, or how they are their aunt's nephews, but he was far too concerned with the lagging intruder. He simply nodded. Ukimara had decided against leaving and with another fit of coughs fell to the covers again.

Haiku left towards the cave's exit as she did so. "Haiku?" she called with another cough, "What is it?"

"Nothing…" he said in a calm tone, "I will return to you shortly Lady Ukimara"

She eyed him suspiciously, but her thoughts were cut short when another wave of pain struck her head. Haiku took the chance to walk towards the exit. The being wanted himself to be known, and was most likely trying to lure Ukimara out. Perhaps he did not know about her condition, but then how did he find the cave?

Haiku came outside of the cave. It was dark outside, but the brightness of the moon gave enough light. The demon's scent was around, and he knew that someone was there, watching. Haiku spoke in his usual calm and optimistic voice, but behind it was his strength and authority, "Show yourself"

A voice answered, filled with amusement at the situation, "Well, I must say you aren't the dog I was looking for old man"

"Is that so?" Haiku asked, his hand at the curved blade at his side, "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I am the only one here at the moment"

The voice chuckled as he spoke, "Come now Haiku, there's no sense in lying to me or yourself. I know Ukimara is in that cave. I've been keeping an eye on her for months now. I'm not sure on the details, but I know enough of her little secret…"

"I believe that you have lost me" Haiku began, quite convincingly, "I don't know what you are speaking about"

"Of course not…but I didn't expect you to cooperate. I'll have to see it for myself…"

Before the voice could reason what took place, a blast of flames was sent into the trees from Haiku's blade. A blur came into view, and landed in front of the old dog. In front of Haiku was a hooded member of the Shin-obi. He lifted his hand to see that it was slightly burned from the attack, "Must say…" the hooded man began, "I wasn't expecting to see that…" he stopped examining his hands and looked at Haiku, "How was it that you found me old man? There wasn't a way for you to lock onto my scent"

"I have my ways" Haiku simply answered with a smile, "Perhaps you wish to surrender now?" he suggested.

The hooded man laughed loudly at this. Haiku nodded to himself at this gesture, "I didn't think so…they never do…"

"I'm not your ordinary demon…" he held his burnt hand back up for Haiku to see. The injured hand began to heal back. "I truly am immortal…"

Haiku nodded in understanding, "Are you now?"

"You don't appear to be frightened…"

"Was that supposed to be threatening? I'm sorry I didn't catch it…"

The hooded man gave a weak shake of his head, and laughed lightly to himself. "I suppose I'll have to make more of an emphasis then…"

Sesshomaru stopped when he reached the cave he knew Ukimara was in. It was the same cave she always used when she fell prey to her condition. He came to a pause, and instinctually his hand fell to the hilt of his Tokijin at the image of the hooded man. The hooded man's hand was wrapped around a weak Haiku's neck.

The hooded man felt Sesshomaru's presence behind him. His head slightly tilted behind him. He gave a large smile, "Lord Sesshomaru…you arrived sooner than I would have thought…"

He allowed the old man to fall from his hands to the floor. He turned around to face the cool looking demon, "I underestimated you. I didn't figure you to learn my true motives until it was too late…"

"Your true motives?" Sesshomaru spoke.

Again the hooded demon chuckled, "I thought you'd run back to the village, but you must have learned my true motives if you were to come here…" he took a step closer, "I'm here to kill Ukimara…"

"And you and your men have proven most effective so far…"

"Don't mock me…" the man spoke, humor still present in his voice, "You will pay for what you did. I'll see to that"

Sesshomaru withdrew his Tokijin in preparation, "I doubt that…"

Sesshomaru went for the first attack. In a quickened pace he brought the Tokijin towards the hooded man, and the man quickly side stepped the attack. As he did so, Sesshomaru released his light whip. The Shin-Obi member pulled out a sword from his side to fend off the attack. It had many curved jagged ends, and resembled a large hacking saw. Its hilt was lined in gold and blue. He yelled to Sesshomaru in enjoyment, "Do you think I am a fool? I know what you're doing" he landed atop a tree, "You're trying to get me away from the cave…"

Despite the fact that he was aware of Sesshomaru's plan, the plan was starting to work. He was already farther away. Sesshomaru's face didn't change as he stared at the demon, again his weapon was drawn.

Before the demon could continue in mocking Sesshomaru, a strange pressure was felt behind him. He immediately recognized what it was when he heard a voice yell, "Wind Scar!!!"

He quickly jumped out of the attacks way. Sesshomaru moved as well. When the blast subsided the demon was back to being by the cave, which was sporting a large new hole. The demon laughed at this, especially after seeing Sesshomaru's face, "Inuyasha, well isn't this a surprise…"

"_Fool…"_ Sesshomaru thought to himself. He wasn't only trying to keep the demon away from the cave, but he didn't want Ukimara to be aware of the full situation. Now with the Wind Scar, there was a small chance she didn't know.

Haiku made his way towards Inuyasha. He was still weak from when he had fought the hooded man. The demon continued, "You saved me the trouble of hunting you down Half-breed. Now I can kill all of you dogs where you stand"

"The only one whose gonna die around here is you" Inuyasha growled back.

"You don't seem to comprehend the severity of this situation" the demon removed his hood. Standing before them was a younger looking demon. He had mid-length black hair with highlights of dark purple. He had mischievous violet eyes and a mischievous smirk on his face. "I am the leader, Sanokoe" he started, "…and I can not die…"

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**I'm really, really sorry this took forever to write. It's not that I'm putting it off or that I forgot about it, but I'm working on other stories as I write this one.**

**So, thanks for reading, and I'll try to put the next chapter up soon. Again, PLEASE REVIEW!!!**

**Really…please review…**

**Thanks and much love,**

**Merky15**


	14. Secrets of Immortality

**Secrets of Immortality **

"Can't die huh?" Inuyasha asked with an arrogant gleam in his face. "Your friends thought they were all mighty too…" Tetsaiga extended forward, "didn't do them much good though"

Sanokoe shook his head with his usual smirk. "You don't seem to understand…" he looked back towards his opponents, "I suppose it's inconsequential"

"Enough…" Sesshomaru spoke in his soft but threatening voice, "You talk too much"

Sanokoe turned to see Tokijin slash towards him. Inuyasha watched the scene slightly confused. Despite Sesshomaru's attack, Sanokoe stood his ground. "_Why isn't he moving out of the way?"_

Tokijin had made it's way through Sanokoe, almost severing him in half. Sesshomaru's glare tightened as Sanokoe laughed. "What's the matter Lord Sesshomaru? You appear perplexed?"

Sesshomaru's face hardened, "Hardly" he shot before allowing the Dragon Strike to flow from his blade and inside Sanokoe. Sesshomaru landed away from the attack and waited to see the effects of the Tokijin.

Inuyasha stared at the scene. Something wasn't right. Why did Sanokoe have such a cocky expression on his face? Did he think he was strong enough to withstand the Tokijin? No, he couldn't have been that stupid.

Sesshomaru's hand remained on the Tokijin. He too was aware that something wasn't right about the scene ahead of him. Sanokoe still had a few tricks up his sleeve.

Sanokoe began to laugh as the dust cleared. Everyone watched as the wounds received by Sesshomaru began to heal. Sanokoe stood completely healed, minus an upper layer of clothing that was destroyed by the young Lord. "Perhaps now you understand" he began, "I truly can not die"

"How's that possible?" Inuyasha yelled to himself, "It's like with Naraku…"

"Not precisely…" Haiku appeared from behind the half demon. Sesshomaru's ear was held in Haiku's direction. Haiku continued, "Sanokoe is a demon who is able to absorb damage posed against him. Meaning that the more damage he is given, the more of a defense he will have against you"

Inuyasha looked back to the older demon, "So he becomes immune to attacks?"

Sanokoe tilted his head with a chuckle towards Haiku, "I see…you fought me earlier in the hopes of evaluating me…very wise of you old man, but is it enough?"

Haiku's face tightened at Sanokoe's question. Sanokoe knew that Haiku hadn't figured the whole of it out. Haiku was aware of this strange power of absorption, but there was something wrong. Despite Sanokoe's ability, he shouldn't have been able to survive any attack that had the ability to destroy him so completely, such as the Dragon Strike. How did Sanokoe survive? What was his secret?

Sanokoe showed his blade off with a few twirls, "Should we continue Lord Sesshomaru?"

"Hmph" Sesshomaru snorted, before the two fell into a deadlock of battle. Sesshomaru knew that if Haiku's words were true than Sanokoe would have been immune to his Tokijin, but he still needed more time to figure something out.

Inuyasha moved to join the confrontation, but Haiku's hand stopped him by landing on his shoulders. Inuyasha turned around, "What now!?"

"You mustn't be so rash young Inuyasha. If you attack Sanokoe now without learning his secret you will get nowhere. You must learn to wait"

"And what am I waiting for!?"

Haiku smirked as he turned back to the scene, "For the opportune moment"

Haiku knew that Ukimara was stirring inside the cave, and would make an appearance soon, and while Sesshomaru was the one who was fighting against Sanokoe at the moment, Haiku knew that it would be Inuyasha who would defeat him the end.

________________________________________

Someone was outside. It was the enemy. She knew that much. Why were they so far away from the village? Ukimara nodded to herself, "…I was the target…" she smiled.

With effort she pushed herself up. The large shaking from the cave is what had awoken her, and she could have sworn she heard the words "Wind Scar" when it happened. She shook her head at this. No surprise really, he was rather rash. Then again so was his brother. Honestly, where the hell did those to get it from?

She was weak but she knew that her strength was starting to return. She took a few seconds to clear her senses. Not much good, her sense of smell was still weak, as was her sight. She could barely make her way threw the now darkened cave. Despite her disadvantages, Ukimara held her spear with determination and pushed through the cave towards the light.

Ukimara smirked to herself. She couldn't help but imagine Haiku shaking his head with a smile, saying, "_Now who is the rash one?" _

_______________________________________

"Why are you doing this Lord Sesshomaru? This repetitive dance with our blades?" Sanokoe spoke in-between clashes. The two continued in a swing and catch routine, and neither had proven effective in marring their opponent. Sanokoe spoke while the two were in a deadlock, "Could it be that the mighty dog Lord is stalling?"

A blast of energy escaped Tokijin again and consumed Sanokoe. Sesshomaru watched the scene closely this time. What caused Sanokoe to survive such a devastating attack?

Haiku's eyes tightened on the scene. It wasn't the same as Sesshomaru's last Dragon Strike. Sesshomaru hit something new this time. Through the dust a bright light shinned. "That light?" Haiku started, "What is it?"

Inuyasha's eyes widened as he saw it. That light, that shinning pink light, he knew what it was. The light that led him to Kikyo, the light that bound him to Kagome. He watched the light die down again into the neck of Sanokoe. "I understand…"

Haiku turned to see the expression on the younger demon's face. Had he alone figured it out? "Young Inuyasha…?"

It all made sense now. He knew what to do; how defeat the supposed immortal Sanokoe. Inuyasha entered the battle field and looked at the now healed Sanokoe. "Well if it isn't the half-demon?" Sanokoe mocked, "What? Tired of hiding behind you elder brother?"

"Oh Shut up you cocky bastard"

Sesshomaru's eyes glanced towards his younger brother. Inuyasha acted as if he knew something. What had he figured out? Sesshomaru's eyes returned towards Sanokoe.

Sanokoe noticed the change in Inuyasha's eyes as well, and for a moment his eyes hardened. "What is it half-breed? You seem self assured?"

"You could say that. There's no way in hell I'm gonna be done in by some pathetic prick like you"

"Pathetic am I? Were you not the incompetent fool who was sealed to a tree for fifty years?"

Inuyasha growled at the smirking demon ahead of him. That's right, Riokoe said that they did research on them before they decided to attack. "You'll pay for that"

"I doubt that" Sanokoe spat coldly before jumping towards Inuyasha with his own blade. Sesshomaru stood and watched this time. Inuyasha knew something…

Inuyasha jumped towards Sanokoe with the Tetsaiga's blade, he barely missed Sanokoe who jumped out of the way, way before contact was close to being made. Sesshomaru watched this small scene. It held significance. Shouldn't Sanokoe let Inuyasha's blade fall to him, like he had done with the Tokijin? Wouldn't the attack of Tetsaiga's blade cause Sanokoe to be immune to the sword? Was it the sword itself? No that was of no consequence. Then what was it? Sesshomaru let out a small growl of acknowledgement, "It's where he is attacking…"

Sanokoe landed a few feet away from Inuyasha, "Not bad half breed, your not as disappointing as I thought, but still your not in my league"

"You're the one who keeps running away! Why don't you save me some time and stand still, you…"

Inuyasha turned as Sesshomaru appeared at his side. He sent a grimace towards his older sibling, "Stand back Sesshomaru. I'm the one whose gonna finish of this bastard. So just stay like a good little d-"

"Quiet your barking Inuyasha!"

Sesshomaru's tone caused Inuyasha's ears to fall flat, but he quickly got over it. "I don't know what you're starting, but…"

"Release the Wind Scar" Sesshomaru looked at Sanokoe as he spoke.

Inuyasha gritted his teeth. It wasn't like Sesshomaru was asking. No, he was giving him an order. Who the hell did he think he was?

Sanokoe spoke before Inuyasha could rebuttal, "What's wrong? Are you perhaps too petrified to make a move? Have you at last come to terms with the futility of this battle?"

Inuyasha's anger easily transferred over towards Sanokoe, "You're the only one who should be scared bastard"

Sanokoe let out a deep laugh at this. "Is that so?" he twirled his weapon a few more times before sending the brothers an intense scowl, "Prove it"

Sanokoe ran towards the brothers. His expression showed his intent. Sanokoe was done toying with the ideas of his immortality. He was going to try to finish this off. He wanted revenge and he needed to adhere to his mission.

Sesshomaru sheathed his Tokijin. His claws were held at the ready. He turned towards Inuyasha, "Now"

Before Inuyasha had a chance to second guess his actions, the Wind Scar escaped Tetsaiga. He wasn't sure why he did this so instinctively. Did he somehow trust Sesshomaru's plan? On second thought, did Sesshomaru even know about Sanokoe's secret?

Sanokoe laughed as the Wind Scar engulfed him, "I TOLD YOU I WAS IMMORTAL YOU FOOL!!! NOW I'LL BE IMPERVIOUS TO THE TETSAIGA AS WELL!!!"

Inuyasha gritted his teeth. Why did he listen to Sesshomaru again? Inuyasha turned to yell obscenities to his brother, but Sesshomaru quickly jumped towards the released Wind Scar. "What the hell are you doing!?" Inuyasha yelled. Was he stupid? Why was he jumping into the Wind Scar like that?

Sesshomaru felt the pressure of the Wind Scar around him, but he ignored the feeling and pressed onward. He felt his armor breaking and he felt the heat on his face. Yet his claws remained held at the ready as he ran towards Sanokoe.

Sanokoe smiled as the Wind Scar enveloped him, now there was nothing stopping him from killing the fool brothers and Ukimara. His smile slowly left his face as an image made its way towards him. He squinted against the light for a better look. "_No…it can't be…"_

Sanokoe tried to jump away, but there wasn't any chance of escaping. Sesshomaru's claws fell directly into Sanokoe's neck. A chocking gag came from his mouth. He sent a angry and terrified glance to the dog at his front. "You…Impossible…how did you…"

No need to here whatever last gibberish the fool was muttering. Sesshomaru pulled his claws from out of his victim, making sure to add a small amount of poison for good measure.

Inuyasha watched the scene play out ahead of him. Damn, Sesshomaru tricked him. If Inuyasha knew that Sesshomaru would have been reckless enough to jump directly into the Wind Scar, he wouldn't have gone along with his plan. He watched the light of the Tetsaiga, waiting to see if Sesshomaru would make it out in time. So far, nothing.

A loud roar was heard as the Wind Scar made its final impact. Inuyasha's ears stood on ends. Was that Sanokoe or….or was that Sesshomaru?

Haiku looked intently on the scene. That was a rash move on Sesshomaru's behalf, but he wouldn't have done it unless he was certain about something. What was it?

Inuyasha's eyes widened as he saw something jump out of the large yellow blast. Falling gracefully back down to the ground was a slightly damaged Sesshomaru.

His armor was obliterated and fresh scratches covered his face and perfectly exposed chest. His golden eyes remained closed, and his hand was clenched at his side. Despite his appearance, somehow he retained his pompous look as the Wind Scar faded behind him.

Inuyasha sheathed the Tetsaiga, as he walked towards his brother, "Mind explaining what happened you arrogant son of a-"

Sesshomaru's hand rose as something was tossed towards Inuyasha. Inuyasha quickly caught it. He opened his hand to expose a bloody Shikon Jewel shard. Haiku nodded as he saw the small shard, "I understand now. Sanokoe used the power of the Jewel to readjust his body when it was exposed to too great of an attack. In doing so Sanokoe would be immune to any opponent"

Inuyasha looked from the jewel back to his brother. Sesshomaru spoke before Inuyasha could speak any stupid sentimental words, "I have no use for it"

Inuyasha nodded and placed the jewel inside his robe, "So you knew? That Sanokoe was using the jewel shard?"

Sesshomaru turned to the side, speaking as if it was common knowledge, "His caution in battle made it obvious enough"

Inuyasha gave him a curious look, "Is that so?"

A voice called from behind the group, "But that was still reckless of you…"

Everyone turned to see Ukimara standing in a façade of health against the cave wall. Inuyasha pointed, "How long have you been there?"

"Long enough" she pushed herself off of the wall and walked towards the group. She looked at her eldest nephew, "You jumped into the Wind Scar, which could have easily engulfed you…"

Sesshomaru scoffed, "I wouldn't have done so if I wasn't certain…"

"You were certain based off of Inuyasha's actions towards the Shin-Obi?" a cocky grin fell on her face, "I'm surprised you _trust _Inuyasha so much"

Inuyasha could have sworn he saw his brother's face give a very small twitch at Ukimara's words. Sesshomaru's expression soured as he again turned to his side, "Don't be ridiculous. I would not trust such a lowly half-breed's insights"

Ukimara answered before Inuyasha got the chance. "Oh?" she started, "Then you went into the Wind Scar foolishly blinded to the situation? And while on the subject, did you not _trust _your brother to perform the Wind Scar when asked?"

Sesshomaru turned his back to the group with a snort, "Your condition leaves you speaking nonsense"

She gave a small smile to how her nephew was behaving. "If you weren't certain that a jewel shard was being implemented, you wouldn't have jumped into the Wind Scar. You were certain that a jewel shard was being used based on Inuyasha's idea, which was displayed by the way Inuyasha was battling. Therefore, you trust Inuyasha" she crossed her arms with another smirk, "Perhaps _your_ injuries leave _you_ thinking illogically"

Inuyasha tried to imagine the face Sesshomaru was making at this moment. He tried not to laugh at the image he imagined. So, he wasn't the only one she did this to. Ukimara did the same to Sesshomaru, huh? Perhaps that meant something…not that he could really figure it out. That was something better fit for Kagome and the others.

Sesshomaru's hair lifted slightly in the breeze. He turned to see his aunt's face. She wasn't back to normal, but she was safe now…they were gone and Haiku was here. He closed his eyes with a very faint smirk and looked away again, saying the only thing he could say, "Hmph"

Ukimara watched as Sesshomaru headed off. His injuries weren't severe. They would be gone by the next day or two. She was actually surprised he stayed as long as he did, but under the circumstances it wasn't too bizarre. She turned to Inuyasha when Sesshomaru was gone. "Inuyasha…" she spoke sternly.

He snapped out of his thoughts and turned to her, "Yeah…what…?"

She looked at him for a few seconds before her expression softened, "You did well"

Not used to compliments from her, a dumbfounded expression crossed his face, "Huh?"

"You acted very level headed. Well, more so than usual….which actually isn't very much…"

Yep, there were the "compliments" he was used to getting from Ukimara. He crossed his arms. "Say what you want, but I'm the one who finished him off in the end"

She looked back towards the spot Sesshomaru had left. "You both did…that is not to say you didn't have your part. You were the one to find that Sanokoe was using jewel shard…" she turned to Inuyasha, "You used your mind, not just your demonic abilities"

Inuyasha shook off his shock at Ukimara's words and smiled, "Yeah, well, maybe I'm not as weak as you first thought"

"No" she spoke plainly as she began to walk towards the village, "…you are"

Inuyasha's smile left as a growl escaped his lips. Ukimara stopped and looked over shoulder to her nephew, "…but you are improving"

Inuyasha's expression softened at her words. Why couldn't she say words of encouragement without the insults attached? Haiku's hand fell to Inuyasha's shoulders, "Come young Inuyasha. Let's head back now"

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**Sorry that took a while longer than I had hoped, but I wrote a long chapter to make up for it, and I'm almost done with the next chapter, and I'm almost done with the sequel. Which by the way, is really coming along great. So the next chapter will be out in a few days. **

**Also, has everyone noticed that Inuyasha has actually improved in his battle strategy? I tried to capture that in the battle scenes. Oh, and I just love it when Sesshomaru is at a loss for words…I love him…**

**Thanks for reading, and I would love if I could get some reviews. Please, I'd really appreciate it. **

**Thanks for reading and reviewing,**

**Much Love,**

**Merky15**


	15. Looking Back and Getting Back

**Looking Back and Getting Back**

Neru let out a loud exaggerated sigh. "It's been hours and neither Master Inuyasha or Lord Sesshomaru have returned…"

Teshara sat with Neru on Ukimara's mansions steps. The entire clan swarmed around the center, awaiting for orders. She gave a nod of understanding, "Do you think we should go after them Setzuki? Maybe something happened?"

The somber faced demon stood against the wall, "No, we'll wait here. If something did indeed happen we will need to be prepared to defend the clan"

Still, no one knew where Master Ukimara was or Master Haiku for that matter. She alone needed to stay strong. Where were they? Where was Lord Sesshomaru? Where was Inuyasha? Setzuki looked up when a commotion was starting to sound. Setzuki looked to see the crowd begin to separate as a demon ran through the clan, shouting to those he passes, Zotomoe. He arrived in front of Setzuki, panting.

"What is it Zotomoe?"

He looked up after catching his breathe, "Master Ukimara is returning. Lord Sesshomaru…and Inuyasha…defeated the intruders!!!"

Teshara and Neru jumped up and down with excitement. A large grin fell on Neru's face, "I knew they could do it!!! There's no stopping Lord Sesshomaru!!! And no one's tougher than Master Inuyasha!!!"

Teshara nodded in agreement, "No question about it!!!"

Setzuki rolled her eyes, "Will you two give it a rest?!"

The two immediately froze. Setzuki looked back to Zotomoe, "Where are they now?"

"Heading this way, Setzuki"

She nodded with a sigh of relief. She looked to the crowd before her, preparing to speak, but something else seemed to catch their attention. Setzuki and the others looked to see that a path was clearing for Ukimara, Inuyasha, and Haiku. Setzuki smiled in relief. They succeeded.

Inuyasha looked around the crowd. When he first arrived he was received with scowls of superiority, but there was something different in this crowd. Joy was present on everyone's face in the cheering crowd. He was greeted with…acceptance?

Ukimara looked to her nephew, understanding the confusion on his face. "Trust is something that is earned, especially amongst dog demons. Be proud, you have earned my peoples trust, and also my own" she looked back ahead. "_Your brother's as well…even though he hasn't yet come to terms with it…honestly…"_

He responded with a nod. So, he's earned their trust? Never before had he felt like he came from anywhere, but he somehow felt connected to Ukimara's clan…maybe that was a reason Sesshomaru kept hanging around Ukimara…nah, that was giving the prick too much credit.

They came to the mansion, and Ukimara's voice silenced the crowd before her. "The threat is over"

Roars of approval were heard and Ukimara spoke again, "Both Lord Sesshomaru and Inuyasha have seen to that…"

Ukimara turned to head back to her mansion. Inuyasha looked at the crowd below. Ukimara was gone, and the crowd continued to cheer…they were cheering for him? He looked to see Neru. The young boy jumped up and down muttering compliments about Inuyasha's strength. He looked to Teshara, who embraced him with a warm smile. He looked at Haiku who nodded in approval. He looked at Setzuki, who despite her best efforts, couldn't stop a smile from falling on her face. She too gave him a deep nod of thanks.

He looked back to the screaming crowd. Maybe this _was_ the reason Sesshomaru returned here every so often…

* * *

Inuyasha found Haiku standing in front of the Mansion enjoying the scenery. Haiku smiled at the approaching half demon, "Ah, young Inuyasha, what brings you here?"

"I was looking for Master Ukimara actually…"

"Oh, well she is just inside there" he motioned with a smile. "I suppose it is about that time though"

"Time?"

"You've done very well young Inuyasha. I expect to be seeing much more of you" he titled his head, "Hmm?"

Inuyasha gave smile of understanding at the old dog, "Yeah"

Ukimara's markings and eyes were a deep blue now. Inuyasha learned that this was an indicator about her health. She massaged her neck as Inuyasha entered the mansion. He looked down to see Neru resting by her side. Ukimara was almost a type of mother to the kid, right? She did practically raise him anyway.

"Hey" he softly announced his presence. Neru's ears perked in his direction, "Hey Master Inuyasha! What are you going to…"

"Neru" Ukimara started. He looked at his master as she spoke, "Leave us"

He nodded, "Okay" he stopped at Inuyasha's side, "I'll talk to you later" he whispered before running off. He smirked with a nod as the small demon speeded off, "Fast little brat"

"So…" Ukimara started, "I assume you're not here for a friendly little chat"

He shook his head, "No"

She looked out the door, "The powers you've inherited from your demon heritage are indeed something to reckon with. Without them though you are powerless, helpless, at the mercy of others. It's a disadvantage to you…" she looked at Inuyasha, noting he hadn't changed his calm expression. At least he was starting to learn. She looked back to the door, "You need to learn to overcome this; to depend on yourself not the gifts your father has given you. Your mind can prove to be a much more effective weapon than any blade…continue in grasping that idea…"

He waited a few seconds, "What? Is that it?"

She looked back to him, "What are you expecting some sort of medal? Do you want me to fill your head with sentimental idiocies of how much you have grown and how powerful you now are after a sum of a few days?" she shook her head, "What would such fool talk give you? An over inflated identity that you have not come close to realizing?" she snorted, "Sentimental gibberish…"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and scoffed at his aunt, "That's not what I meant"

"Oh?" she asked curiously.

"I meant what else do you…expect me to do?"

He wasn't as foolish as she thought. Was he starting to understand how this worked? She smiled to herself in thought, "I see…"

She looked back to her nephew, "Finding Naraku…that journey will prove to be a great obstacle for you to overcome. In doing so I see your strength increasing down the line…and eventually Tetsaiga will follow. Is that not the reason you came?"

Was it? Oh that was right, That's the reason he sought out Ukimara, but now the answer she gave him about his sword seemed obvious. Did he not realize that before?

Ukimara went back to rubbing her shoulders and neck. "Return to your friends and continue your journey. It is there where you will learn and improve. Return here when the chances arise. Your training is far from finished" her eyes met his, "Understood?"

He nodded, " Understood…"

"Good" she turned away indifferently, "Then get out of here"

He smiled at his master's action. Who was she trying to fool? She tried to act indifferent, but even he could tell the truth. He turned to walk out of the room, leaving Ukimara.

* * *

"No way! You're leaving?" Neru sighed, "You only just got here"

Inuyasha kept walking, Kirara on his shoulder, as Neru persisted at the heals of his feet, "But if you leave what am I gonna do?"

"I don't know! Go annoy someone else for a change"

"But I want to annoy you" he whined.

Inuyasha came to a stop, "Look, I'm not gonna leave forever. I'll be back every now and then to check up on you"

"Like Lord Sesshomaru does?" he smiled excitedly

He grimaced at the comparison, but nodded, "Yeah like that bas…Sesshomaru"

"About time you decide to leave" a voice called, "…your stench was starting to stink up the place"

Inuyasha turned to see Setzuki walking over with Teshara. Inuyasha smirked as he extended his claws, "Stench huh? Want to say that again?"

"Doesn't bother me any" she shrugged at his challenge, "I'll just beat you like the last time"

"Heh, you know that was luck"

"If you say so…" she smirked, "…take care of yourself…Inuyasha"

His body loosened as his hands fell to Tetsaiga's hilt, "Don't worry about it. I can handle myself just fine"

Teshara found her arms around Inuyasha again. "Just…just be careful…" she quickly jumped back up, "and make sure to come and visit as often as you can" she tilted her head with a smile, "Ok?"

He nodded, "Sure thing"

The three watched as Inuyasha left into the forest and out of the dog demon clan. He had made such a huge impact in such a short amount of time. Inuyasha, who knew that a half demon could be so…

They reached the end of the Northern Dog Demon Clan. Inuyasha decided to walk the entire way. That was the end of his small little journey. He wondered how Kagome was handling his absence. She was probably using the time for her advantage. He'd probably have to go fish her out of that well again…He smiled to the small cat. "Lets get going Kirara"

The cat meowed in approval and quickly transformed. Inuyasha jumped on and the two flew back towards Kaede's. In those few days Inuyasha had retrieved training, a jewel shard, new friends, and a long lost relative and master; Ukimara.

* * *

It was late when he returned. He would have made it back sooner if he didn't have to get new armor and attire. His scratches were pretty much gone, but he tried to ignore the splitting pain that was occurring on his ribs. That would also be gone by tomorrow though.

He looked at the small sleeping girl resting against the sleeping dragon. Rin. The dragon awoke as Sesshomaru appeared, but when their master nodded they understood this to mean silence. Ah-un rested their heads back to the ground. He turned to see that Jaken was asleep on a neighboring tree, and that the fire besides the girl was, while still burning, beginning to fade. He nonchalantly kicked a few more logs into the fire, before sitting against the opposite tree. He had been gone longer than he expected, but as usual they were still there waiting upon his return. Always waiting…

* * *

**WOW!!! So I finally finished my first Ukimara story. That was a fun one to write. I'm sorry that I stalled at the end, but I told you I'd get it done. Thanks for reading.**

**Now that I'm done, REVIEW. I just finished the last chapter so let me know what you thought of the story. Even if you're reading this story a long ways down the line, REVIEW!!! I also appreciate the community adds. It's a great way to get my story out there. **

**As a present for reviewing I've put the first chapter to the sequel up. I know, I'm amazing, right? It's called "The Demon Within" I recommend it if you enjoyed this one or my other stories. **

**So like I said, check out my other stories if you enjoyed this one. Tell what you think about my own characters. Which ones you like and which ones you hate. Let me know what you thought about the storyline, you know all that stuff.**

**You can help me improve the sequel.**

**Thanks everyone who stuck by the story,**

**Thanks to those who reviewed.**

**And as always, Much Love,**

**Merky15**


	16. PICTURES:The Return of the Northern Lord

**The Return of the Northern Lord**

Hey all! I know this story was posted a few years back now...but as I'm sure some of you are aware, Ukimara and the crew from the Northern Dog Demon Clan do appear in several of my stories. It is for this reason and for all the reviewers and followers I have had in the tales of Ukimara that I have decided to post a few picture... please follow the links below removing the (dot) and adding one. Let me know what you guys think. I will start posting pictures from my stories and the links can be found on my profile.

Once again,

Thanks to all my readers and reviewers,

Much Love

http:/santino15(dot)deviantart(dot)com/art/The-Northern-Lord-277565960

http:/santino15(dot)deviantart(dot)com/art/The-Northern-Lands-277568726


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